Pleasures in Heaven

For a long time, when I was a much younger Christian - there was one verse that dictated my faith. One verse I knew well. And one verse, that more than any other (except of course, John 3:16) guided my steps. I didn't know a ton of Scripture in those days, but this one verse I could not stop thinking about: Psalm 16:11. (I memorized it in the old King James Version, changing the 'thou' for 'you.' And the 'thy' for 'your')

You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

I wanted "the path of Life". I knew it was not the path my parents modeled. They only seemed to be able to walk "the path of heartache'. And they took their children with them. I wanted something quite different. I wanted the path to Joy. I had experienced glimpses of it, when I watched a Sunset, or a starry sky in the middle of the night, or sat under the shade of a large pine tree, with a brisk northwestern wind pushing through the branches. But, it was fleeting - this thing called joy. I wanted it to stay. I didn't understand how to keep 'joy' in my life.

And then I was all about 'pleasure'. The pleasure that came from things on earth like, friends, a baby's smile, or love. I also wanted pleasure forevermore.

So, finding this verse, was a clincher. Here was a 'rider on a white horse' Jesus, who was going to SHOW ME THE PATH OF LIFE - how great would that be. In his presence was FULLNESS of Joy. Not just partial Joy, but the full Monte. And at his right hand was pleasure forevermore.

I was much older when one day I read (Luke 22:69) and discovered that Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God. And I put it all together, Jesus is sitting at a place where there are pleasures forevermore! I began to long for heaven.

There is a thought going around among nonbelievers that Hell is full of Pleasure - and Heaven is boring. Of course that is a LIE by the travel agent who wants to make your life hell.
In his book THE GREAT DIVORCE, C.S.Lewis describes the solidity of people who live in Heaven and have joy. The are visited from people who come by bus from Hell, and can't seem to grasp the weight of Joy.

The amazing mystery of Jesus, and Heaven, and Joy is that we can have it now, in whatever circumstances and have it then in full. It's a mystery that I'm still figuring out.