The process of being elevated to paradise involves a radical self-transformation, and many people are afraid that, during that transformation, they might lose some pivotal element of themselves. This post is intended to address these remaining concerns.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Wouldn't Be Free to Make Decisions in Heaven.
Answer: Once again, as stated in post 2, Heaven does not effect one's ability to make choices or take actions. Your nature remains the same, and you know, at all times, what the right thing to do is, but you can still make decisions from time to time.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I Wouldn't Be Powerful, Wise or Rich Enough to be Happy in Heaven.
Answer: Again, since Heaven contains all good things, and perfects everyone, you would be powerful, wise and rich enough in Heaven to be happy.
Fear: I'm Afraid that There Won't Be Adversaries in Heaven, Which Would Make it Boring, Right?
Answer: Heaven contains everything which is good, including all appropriate challenges to bring pleasure and contentment. These challenges just don't endanger, or cause harm anymore. Again, a good example is a video game, or simulation, in which one can test their skills, but they have extra lives in case they mess up.
Fear: I'm Afraid that I'd Lose My Identity in Heaven; Becoming Just One Part of Some Cosmic Collective, Without Self-Identity.
Answer: As stated before, God does everything for a purpose. Therefore, he made human beings for a purpose as well, and he is quite capable of being a perfect collective, without our help. However, if he were to "assimilate" us; just turning us into tiny little clones of himself, there would be no purpose to that, since it would neither add to nor take away from his perfect union. Therefore, we will remain distinct and unique individuals, even if we go to Heaven.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Feelings in Heaven.
Answer: Again, we need to keep in mind these two principles; God does everything for a purpose, and Heaven brings everything to perfection. This includes our feelings. We wouldn't lose them, but they would be improved upon, so that instead of being utterly subjective, they would add to our appreciation of the truth, rather than taking away from it.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Will in Heaven.
Answer: The saints don't eradicate their own will, as some suppose. Rather, they make decisions, by their will, which conform with God's decisions, and since God's decisions are to work for the best, they also decide to work for the best. In short, your will would be perfected; not lost.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Intellect in Heaven.
Answer: The intellect would not be lost, but brought to perfection, just like everything else.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Physical Appearance or Physical Quirks in Heaven.
Answer: Appearance and physical quirks are another utterly subjective element, which we may identify with in passing on Earth, but like everything else, the appearance of people would be brought to perfection in Heaven. However, again, since appearance is subjective, its perfection is merely in its conformity to our will. Therefore, the saints in Heaven look just the way they wish to.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Memories in Heaven.
Answer: Like everything else, memories would be brought to perfection in Heaven. This means that the saints see what happened to them in this life with a greater clarity, and an understanding of God's purpose through it all. However, they don't lose their memories, as such.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Losing My Friends/Relatives in Heaven.
Answer: With the perfection of our intellects, losing track of the people we cared about in life would be impossible, and with perfected emotions, our relationships with them would be far superior to the ones we had on Earth.
Fear: I'm Afraid of Being in Heaven, and Losing My Friends/Relatives in Hell.
Answer: As previously stated, our wills, feelings and intellects would be perfected in Heaven, and we'd have a depth of judgement not possible in this life. Because of this, if anyone didn't make it to Heaven, we would understand why, and we would see God's condemnation of them as an act of respect for their freedom of choice. Furthermore, it would be an exercise of God's perfect justice, which we would love more than any human attachment.
Fear: I'm afraid of losing my selfishness/irritability/anger/some other negative character trait.
Answer: Insofar as these traits are capable of bringing about good, or being used in good ways, we would retain perfected versions of them in Heaven. Our personal distinctiveness, as stated before, would remain; but not the dangerous opportunity of sin.
Fear: I'm afraid I might not make it to Heaven.
Answer: Now you're on the right track.
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