Glimpses of Heaven
By
Brita Crouse
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of
things has passed away.”
Revelation
21:4 (NIV)
As a psychology major and a history-lover, I
am fascinated by studying people and culture. Probably my favorite time period
to research is the World War II era. So, this past year, when I had the chance
to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau, two concentration camps used during the war, I
was interested (and nervous) to see firsthand these formational pieces of
history.
I knew that I would be affected by this
trip, but I didn’t know just how much of an impact it would have on me, or what
I would take away from visiting these camps. During the visit, as I stood at
the end of a set of train tracks inside Birkenau, literally “the end of the
line,” and farther than most people ever made into the camp, God showed me a
“glimpse of Heaven.”
God’s promise of a new heaven and a new
earth one day is that there will be no
more tears or death, no more mourning or crying or pain, because God will bring
restoration and make everything right. I love thinking about that, and standing
at the end of those train tracks, I got a glimpse of what a world without pain
and suffering would look like. It’s ironic I happened to be in the middle of a
concentration camp thinking these things because this was a place where
unimaginable suffering occurred, millions of tears were shed, and thousands of
voices cried out to be rescued.
I found hope knowing someday this place,
where so many evil things happened, will be redeemed and set right. It gave me
comfort knowing the voices of these victims were heard by the only One who
could really comprehend what they were going through. I was encouraged to know
He cried with them.
Maybe you are like me and get weighed down
by the worries of this world. Tragedies happen daily across the globe, and it
is easy to become overwhelmed by everything. But, take heart! There is hope!
As Christians, we can trust that one day all
things will be set right. But while we wait for that day, we can share our
“glimpses of Heaven” - - the promises that God has given us - - during troubled
times with those who need hope and encouragement. What a powerful gift that is!
GOING DEEPER:
1. This week share a “glimpse of Heaven” with
someone who is troubled or hurting.
2.
Listen to the song “Where
I Belong” by Switchfoot. Write down what excites you most about Heaven.
FURTHER READING:
