"Heaven is where the cooks are French ..."

Cornelia Schacht

"Heaven is where the cooks are French, the policemen are British, the mechanics are German, the romantics are Italian, and everything is run by the Swiss." So the joke goes. But what is heaven really? Is it actually a place?

The Bible speaks about the "kingdom of heaven," and Christ Jesus uses several parables to illustrate what it is (see Matt. 13:1-48). Among his illustrations: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." And "the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." What do these images tell us about "heaven"?

With questions like this one I have found it most helpful to turn to Science and Health, a book that provides the "key" to the Bible, because it helps to reveal the Scriptures' spiritual meaning and how this meaning can be applied in everyday life. There I found, in the Glossary, the following explanation: "Heaven. Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul" (p. 587).

Government isn't usually a term that comes immediately to thought when we think of heaven! And yet, government is certainly a quality that relates to the word kingdom. Unlike a human king or queen, who sometimes plays favorites and isn't always just, Science and Health tells us that heaven is expressed as "government by divine Principle." Principle is God, a God who also is Love. Heaven is therefore, a government ruled by sovereign Love, bringing good to all.

Living in the kingdom of God, of Principle, involves obeying the supreme, divine law. So it takes work to experience heaven! It is the work of applying oneself with obedience, receptivity, and discipline to fulfill the law of Principle and to know the blissful harmony of Soul.

The same active, patient, persistent listening for God's leading in our lives transforms our moments from being hellish struggles into heavenly feelings of peace and joy. They come from a stillness that is not an expression of human control but that manifests itself as we allow God's love for all to lead our every step.

It gives me comfort to remember the Bible's words "...the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). The door to the blissful happiness that we would associate with "heaven" is open for us to enter, moment by moment, right here in this earthly experience. We can indeed know the satisfaction of heaven now, without any obstructions or conditions, and without needing to die. We don't even have to wait for some future time!

National Bible Week in the United States is November 23-30.

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Focusing on the Bible

November 24, 1997

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