ON THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN

 

This side of heaven, we simply say,

Is where we live day after day.

We’re on a journey far from home.

Until our time, it’s where we roam.

Our creator provided us blessings galore,

A beautiful land from shore to shore.

He gave us the mountains with peaks so high,

They seem to be pointing us up to the sky.

He gave us flowers that bloom in the spring,

Radiant colors that make the heart sing.

Green grass to cover the blackness of dirt,

Long-armed trees growing high after birth.

He provided cool winds to stave off the heat,

Of a blistering summer and  hot sand on our feet.

He opens the floodgates and lets rain abound,

He knows we need such to nourish the ground.

He sends the seasons so food we can grow,

He gives us the strength to continue to sow.

The sun and the moon with day and night,

Cycle the gardens for tasty delights.

He gave us the knowledge to build our nice homes,

So that over the land no longer to roam.

He provides beautiful scenes over all of the earth,

For all to be viewed, making dearth into mirth.

His beautiful scenes in the sky twice a day,

The sunrise and sunset, an awesome array.

The clouds above, in all different shapes,

The beauty of this, our breath it does take.

Our awesome Grand Canyon, a mind boggling show,

Niagara Falls, savage water that flows.

We have the great pyramids, architecture so neat,

Where great kings buried their bodies to keep.

And other beautiful scenes just there to be viewed,

Ancient by standards, but when first seen appear new.

The world was created for mankind to use,

Take care of it we must, or this we will lose.

In our generation, our world seems amiss,

So much beauty, yet still ugly persists.

People the world over can’t live in peace,

Wild like a dog who’s been freed from his leash.

People wander loosely just here and there,

They have a mindset of “I just don’t care”.

I will do as I please and what’s good for me,

Having no thought as to who’s the great He.

The one that provided His love for us all,

The one that to us should stand oh so tall.

The one that helps when we stumble or fall,

The one who listens to us when we call.

He gave us our world to use as our home,

We know in our hearts, as this country we roam.

We are here but only for a short little while,

So our life here on earth should be done in His style.

On this side of heaven, life’s an nth of a degree,

As compared to heaven  . . . all eternity.

But for all the beauties given us here to use,

Nothing will compare what in heaven we’ll view.

On this side of heaven, beauty acknowledged in our minds,

Is nothing like in heaven of which we can only surmise.

In our finite minds, we have nary a clue,

Just what awaits us above the “great blue”.

From this side of heaven, we are told in His way,

Such peace awaits us, no comparison to today.

Loved reigns therein like none ever known,

No tears, no sorrow and no further moans.

The essence of Him will entwine on all souls,

His radiant love will be guiding our roles.

And night will never be seen on that shore,

Darkness is banned there . . . forever more.

Such beauty will be present, as nothing on hand,

Radiant colors are strewn over His land,

Awesomely arrayed with His perfect design,

On His side of heaven, only such will we find.

The souls that arrive there will be the best of the best,

Only love will reside there . . . no ugliness, no unrest.

They will honor, love and praise His great name,

All souls will share in their Father’s great “fame”.

We can only imagine the heavenly realm,

But we want to go there . . . see Him at the helm.

We know we must live our life in His way,

And for this we must practice, day after day.

On this side of heaven, so much is unknown,

But His promises given are as solid as stone.

If we continually abide in His way,

His promise will take us on that side one day.

Written by Ruth Miller

A Thought of the Mind

© March 7, 2011