Like every other normal person, I enjoy the sight of beautiful scenery. That is why whenever I drive on the Entebbe Express Highway, I slow down at certain places just to absorb the breathtaking blend of nature and beautiful neighborhoods.
That is also the other reason why I love making visits to Lubowa. On one of my first tours there, I remember saying to myself, “I should not get a home in Lubowa and then go to hell.” By that I meant that a Christian (such as myself), shouldn’t be so privileged to live in such beautiful neighborhood that they forget to honor God, for that privilege, by living for Him. In fact, I remember praying to God while driving through Lubowa that, “Lord, when you give me a house in Lubowa just as You promised, help me to also make it to heaven.” After all, why should a person enjoy life on earth, only to die and go to hell? The good life that God gives us here on earth should be lived as a rehearsal for the ‘real deal’ reserved for us in heaven.
The other place I enjoy the sight of beautiful scenery is the Parliamentarians SACCO (housing estate) in Kitukutwe, Kira Municipality. On its own, that estate is beautiful. However, the view of Nsasa (where I am privileged to stay) from the parliamentarians’ estate is even more beautiful. Actually, a lot of my prayer walks are done in that lovely environment.
Many years ago while I was studying at UC Berkeley, I got two opportunities of touring a neighboring city called Palo Alto. That is where you find Stanford University with its beautiful campus. According to a certain website, nine of the richest people in the United States live in Palo Alto. As another website puts it, “The most influential spot on the map of California is a small, wealthy enclave called Palo Alto: the economic, cultural, and spiritual hub of the Silicon Valley.” I will never forget the opulence and beauty of Palo Alto.
Now, we should always remember that the beauty we get to see and enjoy in different places of the world (including Uganda), is not even a drop in the ocean of the beauty that awaits us in heaven. God has never graced me with a visit to heaven (although these days I pray that He shows me my heavenly mansion and its neighborhood). However, the accounts I have heard and read of the people who have visited heaven concerning its beauty makes it a place not to miss. More so, God lives there. Simply imagine living forever and ever with the glorious God of the universe, in a beautiful place which no earthly language can describe! Therefore, let not the good in the world prevent you from going to heaven. Enjoy God’s goodness in the earth, as a foretaste of the splendor that awaits you in heaven, which “eye has not seen, nor ear heard”.
God bless you.