Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2
My son and I have been watching the first season of The Waltons, and in an episode called “Love Story,” there is the most beautiful portrayal of young love between John Boy and a girl named Marcia. How do love stories make you feel? I’ve noticed that when I watch or read a portrayal of two people falling in love, I experience a curious blend of emotions— vicarious pleasure mixed with the bittersweet pain that it is happening to them and not to me.
There’s something so thrilling about those first few heady days of falling in love and having that love returned. Even if you are happily married, it hurts a bit to think that such an experience is only in the past. And it hurts even more if you’ve been rejected in love.
The morning after watching that Waltons episode, my daily email of C.S. Lewis excerpts included something that brought tears to my eyes.
Speaking of joy in heaven, Lewis wrote in a letter:
Whether that is best pictured as being in love, or like being one of an orchestra who are playing a great work with perfect success, or like surf bathing, or like endlessly exploring a wonderful country or endlessly reading a glorious story—who knows?
Which thing on that list do you relate to most easily? As a choral singer I can imagine the endorphin rush of a perfect performance. If you like to read, you know that it’s always bittersweet when a good book ends. Wind surfing and exploring will appeal to folks with more sense of adventure than I have.
But being in love? Now there is something that all human beings can relate to. Even if you’ve never been in love, if you’ve ever watched a movie or a tv show, or read a book or heard a story, you’ve certainly experienced a portrayal of people falling in love. The allure of romantic love is universal.
As somewhat of an aside, I’ve heard songs with lyrics such as, “Jesus, I am so in love with you,” and I’ve struggled with whether such language is biblical. For all the mentions of love, I can’t find any place in the Bible that talks about being “in love” with the Lord. John’s Revelation pictures the church as the bride of Christ, and Paul compares their relationship to marriage in Ephesians 5. But I don’t see that we’re encouraged to think of our personal love for God or Jesus in romantic terms. That would be especially awkward for men. Rather we are encouraged to see Christ as our brother. Collectively we are his bride.
But Lewis is contemplating the joys of heaven. For all the talk in Revelation 21:10 – 22:5 of precious stones, pearls, and pure gold, there is nothing that compares to heaven. First Corinthians 2:9 says:
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.
The comparison of being in love falls short too, of course. Some people never have that John Boy and Marcia experience. But even John Boy and Marcia’s romance had to fade. When two people fall in love, it’s the most glorious feeling. But eventually they either fall out of love or they are parted.
In heaven we can all have that feeling AND it won’t ever have to end. Furthermore, through worship we have the opportunity in this life to feel that thrill of adoration for One who loves the good in us and forgives the bad. Whether you want to think of that as romantic love or as the deepest platonic love, like that between David and Jonathan, we don’t have to wait until heaven for a loving relationship with God. That love story has already begun.
Great books, beautiful music, the thrill of falling in love, and even the most loving relationships on earth all have their ending point. But our longing to reclaim those joys once they are past is meant to point us to our true home, where, somehow, beyond our wildest dreams, the love and the joy never end.
Dear God, I pray that earthly love will not become an idol to me, but that through such experiences, I may learn more about You and Your perfect love. Increase my longing for the permanent joys of heaven, and help me to appreciate being able to experience Your love even now. I love you, Father God. I love Your Holy Spirit. I love your Son, Jesus Christ, and it is in his name I offer this prayer, Amen.
by Christie Cole Atkins
Related Reading:
Walk Worthy 