A taste of Heaven

Jesus tells his disciples, "In my Father's house there are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

We recently had the privilege to visit our friends who live in Camus, Washington, at the end of our two week vacation. We were staying in Renton WA with our other dear friends, so when I heard it was only a three hour drive to visit Dima and his family, we jumped at the chance to go down there. After enduring the traffic on the I-5 corridor between Seattle and Portland OR, we stopped first at the local Russian grocery to stock up on Nora's favorite foods. We then headed for their home. Praise God for Google Maps! I don't know how I would have found it without my phone.

The drive from the store was picturesque, with perfect weather, we were staring right at Mt. Hood for a long stretch. When we finally got there, Dima was waiting for us on the front porch of the lovely home he built. Quite impressive, brother Dima! Perhaps you are making mansion suggestions to the Lord for when we get there? Well, needless to say, Dima and his wife were ready for us. They had quite the feast prepared, all the Ukrainian food one's heart might desire, more than enough. We ended up spending the night in their guest room, and slept like royalty. The next morning, we awoke and they had breakfast that even topped the supper the night before. To say we were overwhelmed would only begin to describe it.

But the dearest thing for me was the deep fellowship that I share with brother Dima. John invites his readers to share his personal, intimate journey with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. This koinonia he invites us to is what Dima and I share. It is truly a foretaste of Heaven!. When Dima and I get to share with each other, we are not talking about someone who lived 2000 years ago. No, we are sharing each other's testimonies of what the Lord is doing right now, in our hearts. The sweetness of this fellowship cannot be spoken of adequately. It's aftertaste even now glows in my heart.

Brothers and sisters, is this not a taste of Heaven? If He is even now present by His Spirit, what will out fellowship be like when we see Him face to face? Well, in the words of one of the most popular Christian songs of all time, "I can only imagine"!