"Wherever You Are"

When Mom and I were choosing where to sit at church this afternoon, we were about to be temporarily separated, so Mom would have to pick out a spot for us. She asked me where I would like to sit, and I, not having much of a preference, said "Wherever you are."

As I thought about it, I think that that answer might have held true, even if I did have a preference. For example, if I had wanted to sit near the back, but Mom sat in the front, I think I would have chosen to sit in the front with her, rather than in the back, where I would otherwise prefer to be. People sometimes prefer to be where the people they love are, even if they wouldn't normally prefer to be in that place. For another example, Mom loves the Pacific Northwest, but she would never move there so long as so much of our family lives here. No matter how much she would prefer to live in the Pacific Northwest, her stronger preference is to live near family.

This principle can hold true in the figurative sense as well. We'd rather live in comfort than in discomfort, generally, but it's often preferable to go through discomfort together with someone you love than to be comfortable but alone. That's not the best example for me, because I really like comfort and I often like being alone, but even I can see the fun and camaraderie of going through difficulty together with the right person. And if a friend of mine were going through a hard time, I'd rather go through it with them than stay comfortable while they go through it alone. Even an introvert like me can see that it's sometimes better to be with other people, even if the other circumstances are less than the best.

Maybe that's part of what makes heaven so good. It's already a decent place, and we get to be there together. But even if heaven wasn't so great, being there with the right person or people would be enough to make it heavenly.