Taila
AS YOU FLY THROUGH THE SKIES of Heaven, you come across a vision of an Angel waving her arms to you. She twirls and dances with joy, but there is something else about her. Something so inviting. Landing at her side, she smiles at you. Her strawberry blonde hair is blowing gently in the passing breeze. She wastes no time to point out to you, “On the edge of this cliff, have you ever looked upon a sunrise more spectacular than this?” At the Angel’s feet is a blanket stretched out on the land with all the trimmings of a full course picnic. “I am Taila. I am glad you didn’t pass by. I mean, who would want to miss out on all of this? Won’t you join me?”
At the edge of the cliff you sit with the blazing Angel and overlook the extraordinary view of the ocean. While you nibble on the tasty mana crackers and dip, you find the snap and crunch of the fresh vegetables have an exemplified taste to them.
Looking out at the tranquil sight of the water’s movement you realize, there’s no awkward silences here in Heaven, everything just feels too nice and relaxed. It feels like everyone is dressed in a Holy Spirit of their own. Then you comment, “This sunrise just goes on and on.”
You look at the Angel, Taila. She was enjoying the view until she turned her exquisite luminescent face to you and says, “Your presence fills my horizons with images of everything that is good about you. Obviously, your love is your glory and your name is precious to me.”
With light illuminating the clouds high above, you and the Angel Taila watch two distant Angels flying in and out of the cloud. They seemed to be playing a game of chase. It was like the behavior of birds.
The both of you just watch them for a moment. “They look like birds,” you finally speak this obvious comparison. The moment the words escape your mouth you notice light coming from the Angel’s arms and legs. You take a moment longer to study their movements of man and bird. While you nibble and drink in the unforgettably tranquil experience, Taila begins to speak to you.
“Life; it’s more of a dance than a reason to worry yourself sick over things. When your body sheds any sort of waste; hair, skin, finger nails, it isn’t just lost, it’s completely forgotten. You don’t feel more connected to the earth by bleeding on the ground. If you sever a limb, you continue to live without it, even though it’s no longer part of your body. So I ask, how much body can the living lose, yet still live? The answer is: the whole thing. Yes, you can lose your entire body and still you will live. Knowing this, can you still find reasons to worry?”
Taila exchanges a glance with you and you’re about to say something when Taila speaks first to say, “Oh, please don’t answer. I wasn’t asking you a question so you would offer an example to me. Here, I prefer you would leave your worries and your cares on earth. No one here will ask you to unpack your thoughts. I’m sure it’s packed away for good reason, but if there is something you need to unload unto someone, unload it to God through prayer as you would on earth. Give your worries to Him. He is far more capable of dealing with it than you.”
“I don’t think God would want to hear what I have to say,” you speak from a humble place of your heart.
“Do you think your sins are too dark to be forgiven or redeemed? Do you think you can surprise the Lord? Of course you don’t, that would be foolish. Did you know, the disciples of Jesus were all regular men and sinners? They certainly weren’t high priests. Trust me when I say, you qualify… yes, even you… you qualify…”