Heaven's Furniture

I was leafing through a book of poetry by Emily Dickinson recently when I stumbled across this lovely little verse:

Who has not found the heaven below
Will fail of it above.
God’s residence is next to mine,
His furniture is love.

It’s a simple little poem, only four lines, but packed with meaning. Dickinson seems to be saying that the way to enjoy the realm of heaven later is to notice the heaven that is all around us, in the world we currently live in. She goes on to point out that God is not hidden away from us or on a distant throne like Zeus, but lives among us an next to us, and his home is filled with love.

There is another line of Dickinson’s that comes to mind, where she says “They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse.” It’s true – we talk about seeking God, finding God, waiting for God, when in reality, He is always among us. If only we would take a moment to notice.

Take a minute today to stop and take notice of the wonderful, heavenly things going on around you, thanking God for being ever-present.