As a health care provider, I am overjoyed that my services will no longer be needed in heaven. I love my job and the Lord worked all things together in my life to allow me to end up as a nurse, but I cannot wait for the day when people stop being sick. Many of us will be unemployed- undertakers, bankers, politicians, weapon makers and soldiers, law enforcement officers, wedding planners, insurance salespeople….the list goes on. Even if we won’t have a need for our current skill set, the bible tells us we will all work.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

Are you groaning in protest? “Work for ETERNITY? I thought I would get to rest??” Well, will we get to rest, but if we had no purpose-no way to stay productive- we would not only be bored but miserable. The reason many people dislike their jobs on earth is because of the nature of our fallen world. We work for imperfect bosses, don’t always get paid a fair wage, may have difficult working conditions, we get tired, achy and cranky or other reasons that make us equate work to something less than desirable. Work in heaven will be an entirely different experience altogether as we serve a perfectly just and fair God; we will never have to worry about whether we will be able to pay our bills because we won’t have any, and we will do everything for the sheer pleasure of serving our Lord.

All that being said, I was recently thinking about other skills that I have that might be useful in Heaven and all of a sudden God gave me a beautiful glimpse of what could be. Now, realize that some may call my glimpses daydreams, and maybe that’s what they are, but I believe they are God inspired. Maybe they will come true, maybe they won’t; but these glimpses put a smile on my face and warm my heart. So here it is:

I love to cook and often have thought about one day opening a cute little cafe/coffee and tea shop. The biggest obstacle that always stops me from developing that idea is that I do not cook well under pressure, so doing it for a living sounded too stressful. In my glimpse, I had a sudden picture of my cafe on a quaint side street in the New Jerusalem. It has a warm, inviting and homey vibe, with soft chairs and couches. There are indoor and outdoor seating areas with fresh air coming through huge windows that look out onto the sidewalk and street adorned with planters full of beautiful flowers. I serve every kind of cake, cookie and baked goodie imaginable along with simple, comforting meals and an assortment of teas and coffees. I am relaxed because there is no pressure here, no one will get angry if it takes a while to bring a meal because there is no rush anymore. I am in my element, just creating beautiful and delicious foods for all to enjoy without worry about waistlines, diabetes or heart disease. I sway to the sound of a cool Christian reggae song (did you know I love that genre of music?) and sing the words of praise along with my customers as a favorite tune starts to play. Just when I think the glimpse can’t get any better, I look up and see my grandma- my dad’s mother who died when I was 10- working beside me. She was an amazing cook and I always wished I could have had more time with her to learn her recipes and to know her better. Even though I was fairly young the last time I saw her, I still have so many memories of her and think of her often. We are cooking many of her creations in the cafe and they are GOOD. People from all over come in and out- old friends, new friends, saints of old, Jesus himself- and sit and relax as they all enjoy each other’s company and conversation as I happily serve them. I think I might call my cafe “The Sweet By and By” …Get it? No? Then listen below- this was an old hymn we used to sing in the Baptist church. I think it really fits 😁 And yes, we will eat in heaven. Will we have to to live? No, but we will because it brings us joy and is a way to fellowship.

So maybe my little cafe will happen, maybe not. But the glimpse was fun. Maybe I will take care of animals, or maybe I will arrange fun trips all over the new Earth or even the galaxy (because aside from cooking- animals and trip planning are also things I love). Who knows? We have eternity so perhaps we will do lots of different things!

As you probably know by now, I like to give you as many visual and audio representations of these glimpses as I can to paint the picture, so get the song playing first and then click through some photos and dream with me – and maybe catch of glimpse of your own ♥

This post is dedicated to my Grandma Dorothy Wendt ♥