What we will NOT talk about in heaven

We talk a lot about our bodies. We talk about what hurts. We talk about what is not working as it should. We talk about the things we are doing to accommodate injuries or treatment for maladies. We are embodied beings. We relate to our world and all that is in it through our bodies. We know the world around us by what we see, hear, smell, and feel. Our life is dependent on the well-being of our bodies. For these reasons and many others, we tend to be very aware of and concerned for our bodies. 

My wife and I are both runners. We regularly talk about how our recent runs have gone. We also talk a lot about how well our bodies are doing. Daily exercise makes you very aware of the ever-changing state of your body. You become aware of new pains and discomforts. You notice when a run goes well and when you struggle to finish. You pay close attention to how different shoes affect your speed, endurance, and recovery. As with any regular physical activity, you develop areas of soreness and related injuries. You tend to track if particular areas of discomfort are improving or growing worse. When runners get together, a large part of our conversations is about our bodies. We discuss injuries and share treatments we have found to be helpful. We discuss training regiments and how these can improve performance. We discuss shoes and other running-related equipment and how they can help performance, address a chronic injury, or provide comfort.  

In Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve sinned against God and were the first to experience the consequences that will last until Jesus returns. The greatest of these consequences is the curse of death. Until this point, Adam and Eve did not know of, or experience, anything related to a corruptible mortal body. Their knees did not hurt after a long run. Their joints never had the pain of arthritis. They did not need eyeglasses, hearing aids, orthopedic shoes, knee braces, or anything else found at the drug store. I imagine that when they were expelled from the garden, the first day may not have seemed so different. Maybe, not long after, Adam cut himself while working and wondered what this new unpleasant sensation of pain was. Maybe, Eve stepped on a sharp rock and recoiled from the never before known sensation of pain. I am sure of this, that as time went by, they became more aware of how their bodies were growing weaker and losing the abilities they enjoyed in their young years. As they experience pain and the increasing frailty that comes with age, I am confident that more of their conversations became about what part of their body was hurting or not working as it should. 

Adam would live 930 years. With such a long lifespan, it may have taken a while for him to appreciate how much the frailties of his body would consume his thoughts and conversations.  As the generations grew more distant from the garden, their days grew shorter and shorter. At first, there was only a few years difference in the lifespans of the following generations. There were a few exceptions like Methuselah, who lived for 969 years. But overall, the lifespan trend was growing shorter. By the days of Abraham, he was considered to be an “old man and full of years” when he died at 175. Today the oldest living person is a Japanese woman who is 119 years old. Because of the curse of sin, every generation has known the corruption of our bodies and death. We celebrate those who live many years, but we have no hope of escaping death. With the blessing of age also comes the increase of infirmity. 

Genesis 3 announces the curse of sin, but Revelation 21 testifies to the day when the curse will be no more. In Adam, all die but in Christ, all shall be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). Revelation 21 is the testimony of what it will be like on that day when the curse that Adam inaugurated is no more. I cannot help but notice how much the language is about how we will bodily experience that glorious day. We will no longer die. We will no longer experience all the things that come as a result of living in bodies that are dying, such as mourning, crying, suffering from pain. In heaven, we will be embodied beings, but unlike our present reality, we will enjoy glorified bodies that are not under the curse of sin.

Without the concerns of dysfunctional bodies, what will we talk about in heaven? So much of our present conversations are about bodily sufferings and difficulties. These things will no longer be experienced in heaven. The services of doctors, pharmacists, physical therapists, and nurses will not be needed in heaven. No longer will our thoughts be about the weaknesses, pains, and frailties of our bodies. No longer will our conversations consist of the details of our infirmities. No longer will the hope of another year be tarnished by the knowledge that with age comes increasing feebleness. No longer will we begin conversations with “I hope you are well.” All these things and more will be former things, and as John’s revelation declares, will “have passed away.”

Maybe it will take a moment to adjust. Or, maybe like the suddenness of Jesus’ second coming, the former things we filled our conversations with will pass away. But I know this, that all the time and effort we formerly devoted to caring for, worrying about, and talking about our bodies will be overshadowed by all the time and effort we will devote to caring about, beholding, and talking about the glory of God. 

I’m ready for the change in subject. 

I am ready for the new conversation!