Do you remember that scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opened the door of her relocated Kansas farmhouse and found 
herself in the land of Oz? When she did, everything turned from drab sepia to a palette of amazing color. The visual beauty of this cinematographic wonder is probably lost in a sea of HD, but for the original audiences that journeyed with Dorothy back in 1939 it would have swept them into a world they’d never seen on the silver screen.
The reason I bring this up is that I had a “welcome to Oz” moment the other day right in my backyard. It was a cloudy day (cumulous for those who care) and I was admiring my peach tree, which was full of pink blossoms. While I was marveling at my tree and dreaming of peach pie, the clouds shifted and in an instant the sun illuminated the already beautiful tree in a way that transformed it into something even more spectacular. Once fully illuminated, the pinks of the blossoms made everything I marveled at before look like the sepia world of Dorothy’s Kansas! And then the thought crossed my mind: “This is what Heaven must be like.” I stood and stared at the tree, thinking about this until another cloud pushed its way in front of the sun… and the vibrancy was lost. Although the moment passed, I’m still amazed by what I saw.
This moment in my backyard made me realize that we have seen only a shade of the beauty that God has intended for us to live within. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says this: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (KJV). What this means is that there will come a day when we will live fully in the vibrancy of all that God intends, but even now he gives us glimpses of Heaven and Earth crashing together, and they are enough to change us forever.
My challenge to all of us—myself included—is to live fully as those who have caught a glimpse of the glory that awaits us. Declare with your life that there is so much more than this. Look for and celebrate the eternal in everyday moments. And, like Dorothy after returning to Kansas, speak of a world of color to those living in sepia. Invite them to see for themselves what is and what is to come.
Just a thought,
Jason