I was asked recently, “Do you believe in heaven?”
As you walk through the airport terminal signs, images, smells and crowds of people carrying their luggage bombard the senses. It can take time to find your way to a seat by the departure gate, after all this is your main goal prior to actually boarding the aircraft for your flight.
Negotiating your way through the main entrance into the air-terminal can raise the heartbeat and cause some nervousness. The nearer to departure time the more anxiety can increase – will my plane be there and will I get on it?
On going through the entrance one is immediately swamped by information overload.
Fast food, the road shack, bites before you go. No thanks! I’m not hungry and have you seen the prices?
‘Check in’ signs: Gates 1-100 >> Gates 101-190 << How far a walk is that?
Past the perfume, past the sunglasses and leather goods, I already have a watch so past the watches; it looks like check-in is in sight. Pass the bags over to the airline and now find passport control – it’s back a bit from the way you came. Smile at the customs officer; receive no response. Ticket (electronic or otherwise), yes; passport works – yes, therefore I’m good to go. I’m successfully through passport control. More duty free, no to whisky, cigars and cigarettes. Yet more food! No to perfume, well maybe just a free blast from the tester, I smell great. Find a seat at the departures gate and wait, but stay alert just in case the plane leaves without you. Is there time to go to the toilet? I’ve just realised that I have more than one carry-on bag and it’s not a computer bag, argh! Will there be room in the overhead locker? Let’s see what happens…
As a frequent flyer I can do most of this, with experience on both short and long haul flights it’s a breeze really. But what about after Brexit? Will it still be breeze? Will the breeze blow in a new direction? Not a question that can be answered yet of course, we will simply have to wait to find out. Sometimes external circumstances intervene and the delights of a free blast from a tester are denied. It’s all pressure, pressure, pressure…
So back to where I started: “Do you believe in heaven”? To be honest it’s not something I ponder over very often as it really goes with the territory of being a Christian.
The Bibles tells us that Jesus says in John’s gospel Chapter 1 verses 1-4
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms… I am going there to prepare a place for you… I will come back and take you with me.”
Becoming a Christian, knowing Jesus and having the promise of being escorted into heaven, sounds pretty good to me. Yes I believe in heaven.
And believe it or not, it’s a lot easier than getting on a plane!
Image Credit: John McArthur
