Beautiful

Sunday, in the aforementioned church service, the pastor preached on something I hadn't given much thought to up to this point...the beauty of heaven. I know that may sound odd to most believers, but I normally don't take the time to dwell on heaven and all that awaits us in eternity. But Sunday as I listened to the message about eternity and the wonderful things our Heavenly Father has prepared for us there, maybe for the first time, I got a small taste of what it might be like.

I'm sure we all have our preconceived notions on what we think heaven will be like, but for whatever reason, I had chosen to abstain from coming to any conclusions about it (probably because I haven't done enough investigating to back it up with scripture). Even when I picture the best the Earth has to offer, I know it is nothing in comparison to what God has in store for believers. That just blows my mind. So even when you see the most beautiful thing you could ever behold; be it the perfect sunset, snow peaked mountains, or a tropical paradise... this world is still cursed. The very ground that we praise as beautiful and the scenery that "takes our breath away" is called "cursed" by God.

And to Adam he said,
"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
'You shall not eat of it,'
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life

Genesis 3:17

So how much more beautiful must heaven be if all we know and have seen is cursed? I can't even wrap my mind around it.