John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

Sometimes I like to think about Heaven. Because I really don’t know what it will be like there, I imagine it in a way that I would really love. First of all, there would be grand adventures. Like the Hobbit. Or like Star Wars, maybe. God would handpick me travel to other parts of His creation, and I would be equipped with the power of healing and I would have a little dagger in my boot and… OK, so maybe my view of Heaven is a LITTLE skewed by my current circumstances (and a little too much fiction). Still, while God gave me a good imagination, the things that thrill me are only things I can somewhat relate to. So, I will continue in this vein of my view of Heaven.

In my view of Heaven no one would go hungry. And there would be magnificent feasts. And you could have any food that you truly love. And unlike on Earth, you wouldn’t become easily discontent. Like tonight, I had a cheeseburger and then I thought I wanted a candy bar, too. I wasn’t even hungry anymore but I thought I wanted one. In Heaven, you’d already be content so you wouldn’t even think about needing the candy bar. But, of course, there still would be candy bars.

I would also probably have a flying horse or two. Who wouldn’t? And a faithful dog and a reasonable cat. Maybe even a panther or something. And since it’s Heaven, he wouldn’t want to eat me or anything.

I like to think that I will have a specific purpose in Heaven. I don’t like to be idle, so I hope God has a plan for each of us. I don’t really buy the harp-on-the-cloud-image that someone came up with.

Another thing is, I would be able to read in Heaven. I think there would be so many incredible things to read in Heaven. Maybe there will be books on Creation from Heaven’s perspective. Or there could be truths to Science that were never discovered by humans. There would also be tales of martyrs, angels and of Jesus coming to Earth. I think there might be an angel keeping track of everything that has ever happened. That would be worth reading.

Better than anything mentioned yet, would be the chance to see all of the people I met in life. It would be such a wonderful reunion. I am sure that there will be crying. Grand happy tears of FINALLY understanding and loving each other without sin getting in the way. And I would sit with them for decades and ask them what life was like for them, and ask them what it was like to see their faith come to fruition. And then I would ask them what they felt like when they finally heard the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” We would also discuss God’s endless grace. How many times He forgave us. How foolish we once were, and how easily blinded we were in every single moment of our stupid little lives. But, we will rejoice in that, because God, in his love, extended mercy where our meager attempts didn’t add up. We will really be full of gratitude, but not full of guilt.

And the best part of all. The VERY best part of ALL, will be that we will be in the presence of God. Where faith gives way to seeing, and a long arduous journey brings us to a good end. And we will no longer be tempted to sin, but can live in perfect communion with the One we love the most. This part is so much bigger than I am, so much grander than anything I can imagine, that I really can’t find the words to describe it. But, that would definitely be the very best part of all.

I will entitle this blog post: “Why I like the flawed characters.” Or “How I relate to annoying characters.”

Exhibit A: Emma Woodhouse from, of course, Emma. (Jane Austen)

                       Emma is completely covered in imperfections. She’s judgmental, conceited, and a classist.

Exhibit B: Taran: The Assistant Pig Keeper from, The Prydain Chronicles. (Lloyd Alexander)

                        Let’s be honest. At times Taran was downright annoying. I mean come ON. Grow up already! He wasn’t even my favorite character, and yet, I wanted him to succeed. And, I was not only intrigued by his story, I was also reluctantly empathetic (notice I did not say sympathetic).

Exhibit C: Rachel Berry from Glee. (Fox)

                        Annoying, right? They even describe her that way in the show. She’s selfish, self-important, intense, and is also ironically, insecure. She is easily blinded by her desires and pursuit of fame. But, despite these obvious flaws, she is my favorite character on the show, and easily the one I relate to the most. (This synopsis is centered only on the first two seasons of Glee because I have Netflix and can only watch the seasons after-the-fact.)

                      

                         I considered including Rudolph and the Misfits from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, but Rudolph really doesn’t apply to this. His character is a shining example throughout the whole story. While I love a good underdog misfit story (and relate to them as well), I’m focusing on the characters that are far from perfect in regards to their personality.

                        So what makes me relate to Emma? Why is she my favorite of Austen’s heroines? Elizabeth Bennett is easily more likeable. In fact, I think she is generally rated the most liked of the women. And who wouldn’t want to be like her? She’s noble and upright, true to herself, and bold. (She’s also willing to go against social norms, which could be considered a fault in her time period, but is hailed as a great attribute in the 21^st century). If you think about it, Elizabeth has very few faults and she pretty much always makes the right decision.  I think that’s probably why I relate to Emma more. Being flawed myself, it’s comforting reading about someone who begins overcoming her faults. Also, she is able to find love despite and because of her imperfections. That was a comfort to (pre-married) me who had doubts about that concept.

                        Taran the Wanderer. He was pretty much the ideal coming-of-age character set in a fantasy/myth series. When I was a kid and read these books, I appreciated that he wasn’t like most fantasy novel heroes: perfect in every way eveb if they lacked experience; perfectly noble, heroic, loving and selfless. Taran longed for recognition. He wanted to be considered a hero but was instead in charge of a rogue pig. He was taught through humility to be a real hero, but it took pretty much the whole series for him to reach that point. Coming-of-age stories are still very close to my heart. I’m not sure if it’s because I never fully grew up, or because no one really stops “coming of age.” At any rate, I could envision myself in his position. Yearning for something greater in life, yet being stuck chasing an ungrateful pig. Fortunately for him there was much more happening than he realized. Still, I easily felt like that when I was a kid (even now when I am changing diaper after diaper after…)

                        And why, may you ask, do I like Rachel Berry? On my first run through of Glee I liked her, but often found it painful to watch her be selfish or fail socially because of her own conceit. I watched the second season and began on the first again, and I have to say, she really is my favorite character. This time watching it, I am downright proud of her when she makes the right decision. For instance, when she allows someone else to have the spotlight I give a little sigh of relief (this is of course incredibly difficult for her given her personality). She has big dreams, but she is also very insecure. I think that I can often be this way. Half fully driven, half my biggest enemy. In high school I never considered myself one of the “pretty girls” (which was probably true, and didn’t help that I was too shy to talk to anyone). Rachel portrays this insecurity to a fault. She assumes she is less than Quinn and the other Cheeri-os in regards to looks, and everything that goes with that. She has jealousy issues and with this mindset does some pretty tasteless things. Yet, she truly does try to become a better person and her growth is palpable through the series. Even her relationship with Finn becomes more real and based on her love for him, not just for herself (though she does many unlikable things through this process as well).

            Although these characters can often cause me frustration and second-hand embarrassment, I love them. I love that they aren’t held back by their own misgivings, and that they even make attempts to grow past them. I love that their weaknesses can be turned into their strengths, and I love that they are always pushing forward with refined tenacity.

1 Peter 1:6-7

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.