Imagining....

Adoption for me is just as much an emotional and spiritual experience as the hormone driven mood swings of pregnancy. 

Translations?  I get weepy a lot during worship time at church.  Today was no exception. 

I love singing, worshipping, and praising God.  It can be such an intimate time between God and I, even in a crowded santuary. 

So we are singing and I've got tears in my eyes and trickling down my cheeks.  Then we started singing the song from Mercy Me, "I Can Only Imagine."  Love that song!  It has moved me so much and spoken to my heart in so many different ways at so many different times.

We get to the second verse of the song, "I can only imagine, When all I will do, Is forever, Forever worship You, I can only imagine."  My mind begins to consider forever worshipping God, singing praises to God for eternity.

Several years ago, I did a Bible study by Joni Erickson Tada about what heaven might be like.  In total Lara-fashion, the encouragements to consider this life as just a dim reflection and life in heaven being more and better than anything we have experienced in this life became a mind blowing expeience.  I began imagining what it would be like if colors were more.  Blue as more blue than I can imagine.  Then I started thinking about the senses of smell and taste.  What if your favorite smells were more and better?  What if flavors were more explosive and intense?  Cinnamon rolls, roses, chocolate.

So, as I think about worshipping God forever, I also thought about all the music I had listened to on Saturday trying to get ready for Children's Worship.  Picking music each week and for each lesson or series is so much fun for me.  I even was listening to some retro tunes on "Jock Jams" trying to find some rocking music for a skit the kids would be performing to teach the lesson.  Sure, Jesus' triumphal entry included jamming with air guitars and rocking out! 

Did I mention before that I LOVE music?  All sorts of styles and genres.  In Vienna, I loved listening to clasical pieces and a rocking violinist from the band "Rock Me Amedeaus".  With Keziah in our life, I have learned about why Chinese music has such a distinct sound...and I love it.  I love traditional hymns.  I love modern worship choruses.  Retro, rock, rap, ragtime, techno. I just love music! 

Now I imagined worshipping God forever.  Music as more.  Not just more beautiful and "angelic," but more, really more.  Worshipping God where every song was like singing every style of music at once.

Okay, it is quite and imaginary stretch.  But it made me weepy, and I had to grab a pen and an offering envelope to record the moment.  Preserve my thoughts until I could blog.