A Glimpse of Heaven
At 18, I spent the summer in the Kentucky backwoods also known as the hollers. Bare-footed children with dirty faces, tattered clothing, and stringy hair ran through the woods. As part of a team of college students, foreigners to these parts, I enjoyed teaching them simple Bible stories.
Each morning, the rickety bus struggled to ascend the dirt roads. We gathered the children from their homes dotted along the mountain’s edge. Their homes were shacks with dirt floors. As the children boarded the bus, they sang their homespun songs. The whole bus resounded with robust music as it sputtered along.
We worked for an elderly missionary named Rina, who had dedicated her life to serving and loving these mountain people. She taught us to joyfully teach these children, even though chiggers pestered us all day.
Years later, one vivid memory of my mountain experience has remained with me. One day, Rina took us deep into the forest to a place so dense that the sun rarely penetrated. The forest floor as well as the rocks, stumps, and tree trunks were covered with a green moss. The trees towered above us like an awning. A stream gurgled as it wound its way through the lush landscape.
Rina encouraged each of us to find an isolated spot and spend time alone with Jesus. During this unhurried time, we quietly read our Bibles, recorded any special insights into our journals, and prayed. I soon found a quiet niche and talked to God.
I no longer remember the gentle truths that God whispered in my heart that day. But years later, this profound experience of connecting with Him on that untouched mountainside has stayed with me. For the first time, I experienced an amazing intimacy with Him. I felt as if God opened the heavens for a moment and drew me close.
Through the years, I have committed to daily develop a relationship with God by talking to Him and reading the Bible. At times, it has been a delight to get up early to spend time alone with Him; however, at other times, it has been a real struggle.
Sometimes if I felt too tired, I slept through my alarm. Or I really didn’t feel like reading my Bible and praying. So I didn’t. I lacked both desire and discipline.
When my commitment waned, I whined to my husband, Leon, “God seems so distant. I don’t feel like reading my Bible.” Discouraged, I felt tempted to give up. But Leon’s advice stayed consistent: “Don’t give up, Pamela.”
Leon gave wise counsel. And before long, my time alone with Jesus became an important part of my day. Without nurturing our relationship, I learned that long-term intimacy was impossible.
Starting with seven minutes
If I stuck to a daily routine, I found it easier to be successful. Each morning, I have kept my alarm set for the same time. In the beginning, I committed to meet alone with Jesus for about seven minutes each day.1 First, I asked God to give me a teachable heart. And then I read a short paragraph from my Bible.
Even though I don’t live on the edge of a mountain any more, I discovered that I can still experience a daily intimate relationship with Jesus. For me, success didn’t come over night. But as I am learning to faithfully read the Bible and obey it, Jesus has revived my heart and given me a glimpse of Himself.
[Jesus said,] “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place….”2
1Robert D. Foster, Seven Minutes with God (Colorado Springs, Colorado: NavPress, 1997).
