Hiking in the Dark

It was a beautiful evening. Richard and I were deep in the woods, hiking down the side of a mountain. Pine trees covered the landscape as far as the eye could see. Overhead was a clear sky filled with brilliant, shining stars. There was no moon out, which allowed for a exceptional view of the summer constellations. We were miles from civilization and had been hiking for hours.

“They’re beautiful,” my enormous friend said softly. I never understood how someone of his vast weight could move so quietly.

“What are?” I asked.

“The stars.”

“Oh. Yeah, I suppose.”

“Do you think we’ll ever get to visit them?” he asked.

“I hope not,” I said, while carefully stepping over a hole in the ground. It was very difficult to see anything in the dark. “The stars are incredibly hot; why, if we ever set foot on one we’d be incinerated instantly.”

“But what about the planets that orbit them? Do you think we’ll ever get to visit them?”

“Probably not,” I said. “I doubt any working faster-than-light drives will be developed within our lifetimes, and it’s a little too far to walk.”

“Maybe so,” he said. We walked in silence for a few minutes. Richard took the lead, and I walked behind him. We slowly worked our way down the side of the mountain. There was a stream nearby – we could hear it – but in the darkness it was hard to make anything out. I kept tripping over things I couldn’t see, but my friend, for some reason I could not understand, was not having the same problem.

“But what about after we die?” Richard asked, breaking the silence. “Do you think we’ll get to visit the planets after we go to Heaven?”

“I have no idea,” I said. “It’s hard to say. It’s certainly a possibility.”

“I mean, you’ve go to do something up there, right? You can’t just sit around all day and do nothing. I’m sure there are jobs, and things.”

“I doubt you will be sitting on a cloud strumming a harp for eternity, if that is what you are getting at,” I said.

“Now there’s a question for you. What kind of jobs do you think people will do? Do you think there will be plumbers up there, or will I have to go back to school to get a new degree? What if they’re not using pipes in Heaven – what if they have nuclear assemblers, or something?”

“Then I guess you’ll have to become a baker instead,” I replied, as I ran right into a small tree I hadn’t seen.

“I don’t really like baking,” he said as he helped me off the ground. “Besides, how would I compete with people who had already been there for thousands of years? How could I ever get enough experience to get a competitive edge?”

“I’m sure you will think of something,” I said. “I wouldn’t worry about it. I bet there are more things to do than there are people to get them all done. I don’t know anyone yet who found serving God to be boring or unexciting.”

“And what about the language? I don’t suppose they speak English there. How long will it take to learn the local dialect?”

I grabbed Richard as he started to slide down the side of the mountain. It took all my strength to pull his enormous bulk back from oblivion. “Maybe you’ll just be born knowing it,” I said, gasping for breath. “Or die knowing it. Or something. The apostle John was able to talk to people in Heaven without taking any language classes. I think that’s a good sign.”

Richard thought a moment. “But think about it! You can’t just spend all of eternity sitting around on the beach. You’ve got to do something! I have no idea what my options even are. How can I possibly be prepared if I don’t know what to expect? How am I going to fit into society? What if I get bored? What if I spent my whole earthly life pursuing a job that doesn’t even exist in Heaven?”

“I don’t think it will really matter,” I replied. “I mean, you’ll have all of forever to figure something out. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. It’s not like you won’t have the time.”

“But what will I do? Aren’t you worried? I mean – that’s an awful lot of time!”

I shook my head – not that anyone could see me in the dark. “I’m not worried about it. I mean, think about it, Richard. Life on earth is all about serving God – all you have to do to get through life is walk with God. Life in Heaven will be no different. Sure, the landscape might be a little different, but the essentials aren’t going to change. There may be different props but it will be the same story. You’ll be fine.”

“That’s good,” Richard replied. “I was getting a little worried.”

All of the sudden a thought hit me. “You don’t think we’re going to get out of the woods, do you?”

“Well…” he began.

“I know we’ve been lost for hours, Richard, but I’m sure we’ll find a way out. That stream is around here somewhere; we just have to find it and follow it to civilization. I’m sure we will be fine.”

“Maybe so,” he replied, “but if you’re so confident then why are you growling?”

“I’m not growling,” I said.

“Oh,” he replied. “So who is?”

We stood still for a moment and listened. We could hear the wind blowing through the trees, and in the distance we could hear a stream gently flowing through the woods. We could also hear a growling in the distance – a growling that was steadily getting closer.

“I think it’s time to go now,” I said.

“I’m right behind you,” Richard called out.