A Taste?

I got a little taste of heaven the other day.  It happened in a church youth room to which Youth Pastors just say "Duh!"  There is a group of guys who meet every Monday for 2 hours to play ping pong in the youth room.  Now I am getting a bit older in life but these guys make feel like I am a teenager.  During their time in the military, for many this was WW2 or Korean war era, they were not out boozing it up or gambling their money away.  They needed to find constructive ways to use their down time so they began playing ping pong.  So after 50+ years of playing, they have a lot of practice and they are all pretty good still!

Earlier, the pastor of the church stated that this group met and said that if I wanted to join them that they would surely welcome some more competition.  Being someone who loves to play games, I planned on going the next time they met.  To be honest, my expectations were low because I minored in game room activities in college.  Many who know and love me would say that I am "very competitive" and there are few games that I do not like, except for the game "Peanuts" where my wife soundly beats me every time!

Monday, I show up for a few games.  Instantly I am welcomed with handshakes and some Dutch Bingo by those not playing at the time.  I notice 2 ping pong tables and each table is playing doubles.  After a short time I am instructed to get a paddle out of the box and join in a team at one of the tables.  They go over the rules just so that everyone knows them.  I am sure that they thought me to be part of the X-box generation who doesn't know how to play anything without a game controller.  After the rules have been established we are ready to start.

It didn't take long to discover that these guys like each other.  They are really good individually but they compliment whoever makes a good play, teammate or not.  There is laughing and joking all around as everyone has fun playing.  After a while they sit around a table to talk about their week, the latest news, and people that need some care.

That was the picture for me!  They honestly care about each other.  They laugh and joke with each other.  They congratulate each other for using the gifts God has given them.  They care for others that they know.  They share a common bond with each other and Jesus.

I don't have a photo of what heaven looks like but it has to look something like this.  Of course, if I knew exactly what it was like I am sure I would want too badly to be there.  What I do know about God, this is just a taste of what an eternity will be like with him.  That is going to be awesome!  Maybe then I will be able to return their killer serves!