I'm at the age where I think about the hereafter more than ever. I arrive at the fridge and wonder what I'm hereafter. Seriously, heaven is looking sweeter all the time, partly because so many family and friends are there sooner than we thought they'd be.
But maybe you have questions about heaven or you believe it is a myth, the creation of delusional wishful thinkers. I'm well acquainted with myths. I grew up on them. Here are five of them, the first two my mother used on me:
• Myth 1: Swimming after eating causes debilitating cramps, so wait 30 minutes before going into the water-or you'll die. The truth behind this fable is all wet.
• Myth 2: Chewing gum stays in your stomach seven years. It doesn't. Don't swallow that myth. And don't swallow other stuff either. Some have swallowed toothbrushes, iPhones, and Fitbits. Be careful out there.
• Myth 3: Eating carrots gives you better eyesight. Not true. This was a ploy to get us to drink carrot juice and eat carrot cake. What's next? Beet cake? Garlic Pie? Asparagus Crisp?
• Myth 4: Cats suck your baby's breath. Not so. Monitor pets around infants, but your cat should be purrfectly okay. I'm not kitten.
• Myth 5: We eat eight spiders a year while we sleep. I don't know who spun this myth. But don't swallow it. It'll drive you up the wall. Arachnophobics, sleep in peace.
Many of us have swallowed myths about heaven. Some think it will be Morgan Freeman in a white room. Movies like "Bruce Almighty" entertain, but teach little about the afterlife. Here are two myths too many of us swallow:
1. Heaven will be boring. TV ads about cheese and floating on clouds strumming harps have helped cement this myth. And, let me be honest, I've never been wild about the harp.
Mark Twain said, "Go to heaven for the climate, hell for the company," which assumes that unending evil is exciting and righteousness is, ho-hum, hum-drum and boring. Satan has the patent on this great lie. Don't fall for it.
Wickedness robs us of joy and fulfillment. Far from making life interesting, it makes life empty. Psalm 16:11 (NIV) says, "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Heaven promises pleasures forevermore from a God whose creation bursts with infinite variety and endless beauty.
2. I'll miss my old life. Recently, my wife and I were upgraded to First Class. Menus and mutton. Doilies and desserts. We discovered that there are just two classes: First Class and No Class.
But First Class doesn't come close to describing our breathtaking upgrade to heaven. What a hope is ours. Heaven will far surpass all bucket lists ever compiled for "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4).
I can't wait. Heaven is gonna be out of this world.
Phil Callaway is a speaker and author. Visit him at philcallaway.com
