From the time we are little girls we begin dreaming up our wedding day. Our Barbies get married, we picture the flowers, the dress we will twirl in, the venue, and the overall feeling of getting to be a princess. If I am honest, I dreamt more about the wedding day and how it would all look more than what the day would actually symbolize.
Have you ever spent so much time planning an event or surprise only for it to flop or not be all the hype you have given it?
It could have been graduation, a wedding, landing your dream job, or finally revealing the surprise you have been keeping locked up tight. No matter how large or small it may have appeared to others, to us it was a big deal and I think we can all relate to the feeling of slight disappointment.
As we wrapped up the homeschool year we decided we would surprise the kids with a trip to Disney World. We have been to Magic Kingdom multiple times but with my husband’s mother living in Orlando, we have never done the whole Disney experience. We decided this year we would do it. We planned to watch Disney movies and slowly reveal the trip plans with clues. With the help of my friend Lisa with Castle and Dreams Travel, the actual planning and booking of the trip was easy. The build up of waiting and telling the kids was the hard part. I would love to say I lasted until the last clue and only a month away from going, but I am horrible with surprises (I made my mother open her Mother’s Day gift as soon as it arrived in the mail).
The trip itself was filled with Pixie Dust and dream come trues. Every detail is meticulous, every road swept, every cast member is polite, and every thing about Walt Disney World is magical. Even the bathrooms are themed to match the area of the park you are currently in so that you never “leave” the dream you are standing in. I realized this specifically on day three in Star Wars of Hollywood Studios when I walked into a bathroom that seemed to be made of steel and the sinks were large tub basins with the water coming from pipes from the ceiling. It was just how I imagined a bathroom to be if we were in the movie Star Wars. From that point on, I noticed every bathroom and countless other details.
As I traveled home, I began to think about just how wonderful the trip was. Perhaps it was in part because of Lisa, my own obsessive issues with planning, but largely it is the attention to detail Disney has. This got me thinking, if Disney was such a dream and so well thought out, how much more amazing will heaven be?
Revelation 7:16-17 says,
16 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
If you have ever stood in the Florida heat and humidity in long lines you will have a new appreciation for the sun scorching heat mentioned above.
Revelation 21:21, 23-24
21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
So much of Revelation is difficult to fully grasp or even visualize. But after spending a week in the details of Disney, I have a new appreciation for the details God is preparing for me and for you.
Just as it was difficult to fully prepare for Disney, it can be difficult to wrap our mind around something that feels so far in the future.
According to a mini docuseries, Money Explained, “people don’t identify with who they will be in the distant future.” This episode was focusing on retirement and how little we actually save for our future but if “in the US a quarter of the workforce doesn’t have any retirement savings” what does that say about how we perceive our life after death? How often do you think about your soul after it leaves Earth?
We can all get so wrapped up in the day to day details, that weeks and even months can slip by before we even realize we haven’t made Christ a priority.
As I was traveling home from Disney I listened to some podcasts in the car and a statement from Jon Tucker in the Purpose Cycle grabbed my attention. In 30 Things at 30, Jon says “fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose” and then “people need to judge you for who you are now.” First thing to consider is what is your purpose on this earth? What are you meant to do? What we do with our now affects our tomorrow. Secondly, is the concept of people need to judge you for who you are now. We all have a past and whether it is good or bad, we often don’t want to live in the past. Although your reputation may stay with you, you do not have to be who your reputation says you are. Everyday is a new day to begin. Everyday is a fresh start to who you want to be. What is stopping you from being who God has created you to be?
I want to leave you with this, you can not predict the future or when your heart will stop beating. Everything you have planned for can be erased in an instant, but your salvation is forever.
The details of the most glorious dream are already planned for you and the debt is paid; you just need to say, “yes.”
