I suppose one could ask 100 people what heaven is and get 100 answers (including answers that there is no such thing). I think there is a heaven, but I am not sure just what it is. Is it a physical place? Is it a state of mind? I don’t know. But one definition of heaven caught my eye today. This from Anne Lamott, in Traveling Mercies: “Heaven is just a new pair of glasses.”
My worldly glasses, of course, help me see more clearly, but Lamott is of course going beyond that. The “new pair of glasses” she is referring to would help me NOT see, or at least help me “see past,” certain things. For instance, the “new pair of glasses” in heaven might not let me see short or tall, skinny or fat. I am fairly sure the “new pair of glasses” in heaven would not let me see skin color, tattoos, clothing, hair color and styles, and other things commonly used to profile people and put them in pre-determined categories. Or maybe the “new pair of glasses” would allow me to see those things, but see them for what they are – of little meaningful significance.
Of course, going down this path, it occurs to me that I need not wait. I can get this “new pair of glasses” here, now, quicker than Amazon can deliver them. Heck, it occurs to me that I indeed HAVE that pair of glasses already but don’t pull them out and wear them as often as I should. Often, I see them as are a little out of style, and they don’t always fit quite right. Still, I need to wear them more often.
It occurs to me... 