Heaven's Social Network

One of the benefits of all the moving around my Daniel and I have done is that we’ve met and befriended some of best, most interesting, awesomest people this world has to offer. When I send Christmas cards, they fan out to over half of the states in the U.S.A. as well as a couple countries. Despite time and distance, I carry all of these souls in my heart. I write tons of emails that end with “love and miss you.”

We’ve actually moved so much that we encounter people we know from one place in another place, making a new city feel like home and smoothing the transition.

Thank God for modern technology and social networking through entities such as Facebook by which I can remain connected and keep in touch with all these fabulous people we’ve been blessed to cross paths with.

But even Facebook can’t keep me from missing my special friends and family. There’s something about actual face-to-face fellowship that far outweighs occasional written communication or perusing snapshots of the life all of them lead. Sharing experiences, occupying the same space in time, giving actual hugs are essentials that modern media can’t provide.

Sometimes I wish I could create a neighborhood where I’d collect all of these special people and we could just all live right next door to each other – gather for BBQs, game nights, pool parties, Bible studies, yard sales, and everything else neighbors do (or at least used to do) together. It’d been a pretty big neighborhood, I’m blessed to say!

Then it hits me – oh, yeah – Heaven. That’ll be the day when my wish will come true. For those who have already chosen Jesus, and thus, citizenship in this heavenly neighborhood and for those who, by faith, I’m believing will choose to get there too, the perfect neighborhood awaits – and what fun it will be! Never-ending, too, as we’ll have eternity to fellowship with each other and with the One who loves us enough to invite us to dwell in His Home forever.

Usually, here on earth, I’m the one doing the leaving. I move to the next city, leaving cherished people behind. Today, however, I am experiencing the loss as a close friend of mine here in Austin, who I already knew from Knoxville, moves to Alaska! Can’t get too much farther and still be in the US! I mean, it doesn't even show up on the map, except in an inset box. It's that far!

Of course, I am happy for her and her husband as they go on this new adventure, but also sad and jealous to be left behind. J I know we’ll keep in touch via the social network avenues this world provides and maybe even get to visit each other in the future, but I also know for certain that I can look forward to that day when we’ll live on the same golden street in Heaven.

To my Alaska-bound friends, as well as to all of you out there who hold a piece of my heart (I’m sure you know who you are), I miss you and look forward to an opportunity when I can hug your neck! But I will comfort myself in the meantime with the assurance of Heaven’s social network and thank Jesus once again for the hope of that future.

Be blessed, friends! And thanks again for visiting me here on Dry Ground today!

(photos by photobucket.com)