near eden

We were headed to our cousin's basketball game. It was the first high school game I have been to in over four years and I was most definitely looking forward to it. The rows of school colors, the painted faces, the cheers and jeers, the hot dogs and candy bars, the school band; it's a completely traditional, well-put together atmosphere that is absolutely perfect. The game and the experience, it's perfect.

I also like a drive towards the mountains. Whether it is a Friday night when the lights of the city are turning on and the sun is dimming down, or a Sunday afternoon with a warm breeze and a bright, beautiful sun full of glory, I love the activity. And on this particular day, at this particular time, the view was spectacular.

We had driven over the interstate and down into the valley when I looked up and, at first, had to remind myself where I was. The clouds, wispy, soft, and made of cotton, were lying across the horizon and up towards the skies. Its shape was revealing motion to the north and created wave after wave. Some of them were lined with a rosy pink, some a baby blue, and some with small specs of gold. Some clouds were moving so quickly that they were shadowed with hues of each, only for a second or two.

The sky was soft, like a wool blanket. The color was deep and rich, but not black or dark. I could have compared it to the ocean, high above the clouds, beyond the earth, an ocean in the sky. A few stars danced in that ocean, twinkled enough to show they were there, but were waiting to show their real brilliance until the ocean grew darker.

Even the birds, flying at the slowest of slow paces, seemed to honor the soft clouds, the amazing sky, and those stars that demanded all attention.

And just beyond those clouds, hidden in the sky, reaching for the heavens, were tall, majestic, steep shapes colored with royal purples. And they were floating, truly separated from the earth and resting above the clouds. I couldn't see any of their foundations; I could only see what was above the puffy white pillows. I was mesmerized by these giant creations that looked like something from the planet Pandora.

And I had to remind myself that I wasn't in Eden, that I was still alive, and still on planet Earth. But I let myself gaze long enough to remember how great Heaven will be. I let myself drift to the place that delights in what is yet to come, what is eternal, what is true. Because there are moments so heavy, so dark, that seem to overcome our hearts, and the reminders in our hearts that there is more. So, I let myself believe, for a sweet, brief moment that I was closer to Eden, on my home, and in the deep in the presence of God and His original creation, His divine plan, His kingdom.