What is Heaven Like?

When I hear people talk about heaven, a question that often comes up is, "What do you do all day?" Another is, "Doesn't it get boring after a while?" I get the sense that heaven seems unreal, and not connected to real living.

The New Church has many teachings about heaven. The main idea is that heaven is a lot more like this world than we might think. Angels weren't created as angels and don't have wings. They are normal people like you and me who once lived on earth and are now in heaven. When we get to heaven we live in houses; we are married; we spend part of each day doing a job we love and excel at; we learn and grow spiritually forever; and we are around the people we love the most.

Here is one way of thinking about heaven: Imagine what this world would be like if there were no evil. People would see and appreciate the best in each other. You wouldn't need to lock your car or house. You could trust everyone you worked with. You could be sure that you were always getting what you paid for. Governments would not spend money on armies, guns, and prisons, but would spend it on education, the arts, science, and technology.

Imagine a world where everyone had learned to deal with their tempers, their fear, their guilt, their anxiety. Imagine a world where you had friends all around you - people you trusted Heaven is a lot like this world, except much better. It has all the best qualities, and none or the weaknesses. and could really share yourself with. Imagine a world where the person you were married to was the perfect match for you: he or she was kind, considerate, loving, passionate, safe, open, trustworthy, and wise. Imagine a world where people were so trustworthy that you didn't need to protect your feelings by hiding them or by pretending to feel something different. Imagine a world where you had a fulfilling job that you loved doing and were eager to go to every day. Imagine a world where you could understand anything you wanted, a world in which you weren't limited by whether you were born artistic, athletic, academically gifted, or socially gifted. Whatever you wanted to leam was within your grasp.

Essentially, heaven is heaven because it is a place where only good people thrive. Evil people don't want to be there (we'll get to why in a minute). All the people in heaven love to honor God and to do His will. Because of this, they also love to honor the people around them and to serve them.

So heaven is a lot like this world, except much better. It has all the best qualities, and none of the weaknesses.

And no, it doesn't get boring either. No one is perfect, even in heaven. We always need to continue growing and developing. We learn constantly, meet new people, and face different challenges about how to help people. If we are not happily married on this earth we will find our soul mate in heaven. If we are happily married, we will be reunited in heaven and continue to grow more deeply in love with that person. We will also protect and help the people who are still here on earth. (Yes, we do have guardian angels around us right now.) As long as people on earth have choices to make, life for angels will never get boring.