Once upon a time there was a woman who had grown weary from her labor. She went into her room, alone, closed the door, and lay down on the bed. She pulled a blanket over herself for warmth and closed her eyes.
She woke standing in the middle of a road paved with gold cobblestones. Along the street stretched clean sidewalks; lawns cut, pruned, and blossoming with flowers; houses scrubbed and polished as if the greatest holiday parade marched down this street today. She knew in her heart that hungry children did not roam these streets. Sad and suffering relatives did not visit, hoping for help. People living here never locked doors against intruders.
In the distance a light shone brightly like the noon day sun. It sat low over the house tops, not up the sky like the sun she had watched all her life. Suddenly a beep sounded behind her. She turned around to see a car sitting in the middle of the road. People inside the car motioned for her to move over so they could pass. As she walked to the sidewalk, they smiled and waved while driving on down the road.
She walked on the sidewalk towards the great light. She passed couples and groups of friends, chatting as they ambled down the road in either direction. Some smiled and nodded to her, others were so engrossed in their conversation they barely noticed her. She saw children running, playing, pulling fruit from a tree and tossing it to each other.
She walked under a low hanging branch and picked a piece of fruit for herself. She held it in her hand and studied its round shape, stem, and smooth skin. She bit into the dark purple peel which gave way to a juicy flesh, filling her mouth with the sweetness of peaches. She bit again and again, consuming the fruit and remembering the best desserts from her grandmother’s table. When she had eaten everything but the core, she held it up and dropped in her mouth, chomping down on seeds and stem until nothing remained but juice on her lips and hands. She continued walking, licking the juice from her hands, not caring who might be watching.
She came to an open plaza with gold cobblestones forming concentric circles. At one end of the plaza, large marble steps, thirty feet wide and twenty steps high, climbed up to a flat platform. On it the magnificent white light shone with the brightness of a thousand earthly suns. She approached the steps slowly, staring at the light without needing to shield her eyes. Other people stood in the plaza, some kneeled at the steps, and others lay prostrate on the ground.
She looked up and saw in the midst of the light a man sitting on a white throne. The light emanated from his heart, concealing his appearance. She felt the power of a pulse coming from him as if his heart consisted of a thousand drums beating in unison. With each beat, power flowed through him and out into all that exist. She realized that every living thing, every emotion of passion and love, every idea of beauty and peace, every neuron spinning on its axis, every tree, mountain, and rock originated here, from him.
She stood consumed by the glory and beauty of the light with the pulse beating in her ears. She felt every gentle touch she had ever known, every kiss that had graced her check, every reassuring squeeze of her shoulder, and every loving hug. As she sighed from memories of comfort and love, her knees began to weaken. She closed her eyes and leaned her head backwards.
She opened her eyes and found herself back in her bedroom, alone, covered by a blanket. She looked around her room and saw the door she closed earlier. She knew the world waited for her to return to her labors. Normally the story would end here and the words The End would appear on a blank page. But this story does not end, it continues forever. This story is her future, the beginning of her eternity. This story begins when all her labors are finished and she is laid to rest.
This beginning is available to anyone who chooses it. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. His name is Jesus.
Romans 10:13
