Almost Heaven – June 23, 2002
At an amusement park a little boy and his father took a ride on the Ferris wheel. When they reached the top, the little boy looked down and, with delight in his eyes, said: “Daddy, we must be almost in heaven. Look! Everything down there is so small.”
It’s good for the soul to occasionally take the kind of ride that makes the troubles and cares of the world seem small. God has blessed us with an amazing array of experiences that are free to everyone, and have the capacity to lift us for a time out of our troubles almost instantly. A woman tells of one such early-evening moment. Seeking some relief from the pain of a physical injury, she looked out the large bay window. The sky was filled with a brilliant red sunset that highlighted the silhouette of distant mountains. It was breathtakingly beautiful. As she took in the scene, it was as though it took away her pain. For a few brief moments, her troubles seemed so small.
For some, the respite may be a visit to the beach—watching and listening to the gentle lull of the incoming and outgoing waves. The smell of the sea and the quiet breeze can refresh the soul. Of such an experience, author Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote, “One is nourished as one never is by words.”1
A counselor, working with clients who are overwhelmed by their problems, encourages them to take a walk and open their eyes to nature’s gifts. He urges them to focus on a tree and examine the delicate structure of the leaves, take in the beauty of a wildflower, and listen to the song of a bird. We have a glorious world, and finding joy in its wonders, can make our troubles seem smaller and more manageable. During these moments we, too, may feel like we’re almost in heaven.
Program #3801
1. Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gifts from the Sea (New York: Pantheon Books, 1955), 116.