I have no idea what heaven will look like, but there are times when the idea of eternity makes me want to take a nap. And I don't take naps. It doesn't help that most popular images of heaven are basically those emotional praise singalongs you had on high school mission trips and God keeps saying "One more chorus" for a thousand million bajillion years. That seems like a trap.
I know heaven won't be that or us playing harps on clouds. But still, would there be enough new things going on? Would we be too blissed out to care? Could eternal life be a curse? It reminds me a bit of Groundhog Day (Sidenote: It's a great film and if you haven't seen it then you should because I'm going to spoil it here). We would be like Phil Conners waking up again and again to unlimited possibilities.
Yet Phil's response swings wildly as he gets trapped reliving February 2 over and over in Punxsutawney, PA. He goes through shock, decides to live solely for himself, tries to get the girl, grows despondent, tries to kill himself numerous times, dedicates to bettering himself, and yet still finds himself living Groundhog Day over and over again; trapped in eternity.
The angelic chorus belts out "I Got You Babe" as we roll out of bed and we'd go through our day in heaven with whatever awesomeness heaven provides for us. And it would be incredible. Then we'd wake up the next morning and do it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. It's enough to make you want to try to murder a groundhog.
I know that from a standpoint of Christian orthodoxy, I shouldn't be questioning the goodness of being in God's presence much less comparing it to a Bill Murray movie. But I must confess that I wonder about eternity sometimes. Would it not eventually seem like we were going in circles? Some days I think it would. Not everyday, but some days.
Nothing Phil did could get him unstuck. Until he found love. I know it sounds like a cliche, but that is what ultimately did the trick. Once he stopped trying to get the girl and fell in love with the girl, he became unstuck. The funny thing is that after spending the whole movie wanting to escape his Punxsutawneyan purgatory, Phil's final line is "Let's live here."
Love is what makes the wheels of eternity move forward. Love keeps us from spinning in circles. It is love that comes to mind when I consider eternity with God. God loves us and we love God and that love flowing from one to another will make eternity seem like a paradise. Not the streets of gold or whatever other cool stuff is up there (I'm assuming jet packs and dinosaurs you can ride), but love is what will make eternity feel like a new adventure everyday.