What delights of the eye
Are kept hidden (in reserve)
For them - as a reward
For their (good) deeds.
S.32 A. 17
This verse challenges me again to think about my afterlife, something I am never comfortable contemplating. I don't worry about hell per se, it's just that the appeal of heaven has never resonated with me, perhaps as it was always presented to me as an extension of earthly pleasures, earthly desires. I guess I thought if I wanted those things badly enough, I would pursue and achieve them now in this life. I know this is my own distortion, but it was all that I had.
The path to heaven intrigued me far more than did the destination - I always wanted to be a better man, to help others, to make the world a better place, but on my own terms. Subsequently , my path has not been true, and the issue of heaven may have been mute all along. But now I am realigning myself with a different set of rules, and I am confident my path will improve. So confident in fact, I am at last willing to consider completing the journey successfully, willing to let myself do so.
When I read this verse now, I see the metaphor I had missed before. The delights of the eye that are hidden are the rewards of heaven that would make no sense to my earthly, flawed and imperfect form. It never struck me that my soul might require different nourishment. This makes so much more sense to me. In this life, I can nurture the good and decent motives I have to serve others, knowing that my soul will be rewarded in the next. Amazing what five lines can do, if you open your heart and mind.
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