Your dream house (2)

When it comes to moving into your dream house, here’s another important question: what kind of people live in the neighbourhood? Describing the joys of heaven, John the Revelator wrote, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb [who is Jesus]!’” (vv. 9-10 NKJV). Author Max Lucado told the story of his friend Joy, who was a Sunday school teacher and had a timid nine-year-old girl named Barbara in her class. She was an underprivileged child from an impoverished area of town. Lucado wrote, “Barbara’s difficult home life had left her afraid and insecure. For the weeks that my friend was teaching the class, Barbara never spoke. Never. While the other children talked, she sat. While the others sang, she was silent. While the others giggled, she was quiet. Always present. Always listening. Always speechless. Until the day Joy gave a class on heaven. Joy talked about seeing God. She talked about tearless eyes and deathless lives. Barbara was fascinated. She couldn’t release Joy from her stare. She listened with hunger. Then she raised her hand. ‘Mrs. Joy?’ Joy was stunned. Barbara had never before asked a question. ‘Yes, Barbara.’ She asked, ‘Is heaven for girls like me?’” The answer is yes! Heaven was made for Barbara—and for you.