Here ... But There

This morning I was inspired by a nameless old Puritan in the book, The Valley of Vision, who wrote a poem about the broken realities of Earth ... and the infinite wonders of Heaven. The longer I live, the more I see that all real treasures lie ahead. Real wealth comes later. Earth is but a sip from Heaven's waterfall, for those who've banked it all on Jesus.

Being a bit of a poet, I spent some time this morning stringing together phrases in poetic form, attempting to convey the impossible contrast between Earth and Heaven. I failed, as such an attempt must be a fool's errand. How does one compare a drop of water to an Ocean or a grain of sand to Jupiter?

Nevertheless, it's worth the effort to not only dream of Heaven, but to live in light of its reality.  As C.S. Lewis so beautifully said,

"Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth 'thrown in'; aim at Earth and you will get neither."

So below, I offer you my musings on Earth and Heaven, titled: Here ... But There.

Here ... But There

(Earth is like brown-bagged Ripple-wine before the Cabernet Sauvignon of Heaven)

Here I paint in muted hue,
blended, stirred, a sheenless flat;
There kaleidoscopes preview,
Iridescent gloss from matte.

Here I search for harmonies,
Descant notes upon the breeze;
There I’ll swallow symphonies,
Crescendos that delight with ease.

Here I taste vanilla phlegm,
Milquetoast grace in ginger ale;
There I’ll quaff crème de la crème,
Satin-smooth, atop the pail.

Here I trill a warbled song,
Breaking voice and out of tune;
There, at home, I’ll sing along,
Morning, night, and afternoon.

Here on Earth, the Bell be cracked,
Cannot peal an honest truth;
There above, all sin’s hijacked,
And death restores the aged to youth.

Here I wait, the anguished night,
Like a child on Christmas eve;
There I wake, to Dawn's Delight,
Wonder that will never leave.

Here's a caricature of There,
Alike but – incompletely;
There will overwhelm the Here,
Will do so, strong and sweetly.