The news has been really depressing lately, so I thought I would write about something more important for a change...

When I was a kid, Coke came in glass bottles and was made with pure cane sugar! These little jewels came in 6, 8, 10, 12 and 16 ounce bottles. There was a size for just about any thirst imaginable. They had metal caps that had to be removed with real bottle openers.

A coke always came with a smile - when I was a kid.

When I was a kid, we were lucky to get one coke every week or two - but that was okay, because it just made you appreciate it all the more. Since these little beauties were such a rare treat, it was all the more important to savor each sip. Also, there were highly unscrupulous people - back in the day - who delighted in shaking up your coke when you weren't looking. These despicable creatures did so just for the thrill of watching you shower yourself with an eruption of this brown, sticky sweetness. I was fortunate enough to get my brother a time or two, myself, with this clever trick. But... I digress.

Because of that possibility of having received a bottle thus shaken by a brother or some other unknown enemy, it was of paramount importance for one to take the cap off very slowly. Plus, if you did it just right and didn't bend the cap, you could reuse the lid and the bottle again and again for refreshing drinks of water that could be chilled in the fridge for just such a purpose. Water was a 100 times better when served in this way.

Once the lid was off and you double-checked to make sure no so-called friends were around who wanted "just a sip", you could kick back and relax and enjoy your coke. There were few experiences quite like this... when I was a kid.

Have you noticed now that we're older and can have as many cokes as we want that a coke is just not as much of a treat any more? Maybe it's because they don't use real cane sugar anymore. Maybe it's because we just have too much. Or, maybe it's because we've lost a bit of the passion that just seemed to course through our veins, when we were kids.

I'm looking forward to Heaven! I have an idea that we will get some of our zest for living back when we get there. Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to reduce Heaven to a series of fanciful pleasures, but I do think that we will rediscover the passion that we had when we were kids - when every treat was to be savored with joy and thankfulness. Christ has gone to prepare a place for those who choose to serve now in His way. I wonder what He is preparing for you and me? I can't wait to find out.

Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In my Father's house are many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you. 

John 14:1-2, NIV