Crazy Love

I'm reading this book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan (click the book to link to the website w/videos and excerpt). It's about falling in love with a God who is already madly in love with us and finding the answer to religious complacency in just loving Him (because all of the other good stuff should flow out of that right?) Anyway, he poses the following question (which is actually from a John Piper book):

"If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?"

Ouch.

C.S. Lewis said something in The Problem of Pain that reminds of this question (though I can't find the exact spot because you can't exactly skim through a C.S. Lewis book). In discussing Heaven and Hell he makes a good point that we, as humans have no idea what it would be like to be totally without God's presence because essentially we can see his creation and we most likely know people who show us glimpses of his nature. So even if we personally don't know God - we are never completely without Him.

All of the things I "look forward to" when I think about heaven - no more sickness, no more pain, no more anger, loved ones that we've lost, joy, peace, the answer to my stupid dinosaur questions - would mean nothing without Him there. And without His presence wouldn't we be in hell?

So what is it that I truly desire?

Today, I wish I loved Him more than I do.

I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night – but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you. Psalm 139:7-12