A friend reposted a question on her Facebook page from John Tesh’s radio show. The puffy-haired spokesman, best known for his stint on Entertainment Tonight, asked:
“When you get to heaven, who are you going to look for first?”
The answers were probably what you’d expect.
- There were about 100 “mommas”
- Lots of deceased spouses.
- A few children gone way too soon.
- There were a couple of jokes about not wanting to see an ex. Others about not having to worry about attorneys, since none could possibly make the cut.
One interesting thing: absolutely no one seemed to question whether or not they would make it to heaven themselves. No one, that is, except my friend Sal.
He has no plans for heaven because he simply can’t believe it’s a real place.
Sal’s in his 90s, Italian and full of life, and is quite fun to talk to. Trust me, you’d like him. One other thing: there’s no baloney in anything he says. He’s a bottom line kind of guy.
That is, until Sal starts talking about God and heaven. Then surprisingly, this no-nonsense guy starts pours it on thick with the platitudes:
“I’m OK with death because we all live on in the memories of others.”
That’s nice, but that’s not really “living”, is it? That’s just being remembered. If I’m dead, being remembered doesn’t do me any good. And let’s be honest. My kids will remember me, and maaaaaaybe my grandkids for a while.
But when they’re gone, then I’m gone, forever. If a memory is all that’s left of me, I’m doomed to oblivion.
Sal’s platitudes continue when he talks about heaven. Frankly, I cringe a little whenever he tries to talk about the place:
“I think we make our own heaven here on earth”
Excuse me, but have you been to earth lately?!?
Sorry, I’ve rarely experienced anything close to unbridled fulfillment and everlasting joy. Sure, fleeting moments here and there, little glimpses perhaps. But good luck creating heaven on earth. As soon as you do, some other person will knock it down while trying to create their own!
Why is it when people like Sal talk about heaven, everything gets fuzzy and symbolic. Why does a tough old codger suddenly sound like a Hallmark card co-written by Oprah and Misterrogers?
Of all people, Sal should care the most about what happens after you die. Why? Because he’s Sal’s in hospice care. He’s gonna die in the next 6 months!
You’d guess that a 6 month “death sentence” is probably time to take the idea of death and heaven seriously. Many people don’t get any “countdown” before their deaths. Most die anesthetized and comatose, unable to change their minds. Sal is lucky, but Sal is throwing away the merciful hand life (or maybe death) has dealt him.
God has left reminders all around us that our days are numbered.
- Every funeral we attend of a friend is meant as a “heavenly heads-up”.
- The polaroids from that first date with your husband eventually change color and curl in your garage’s heat.
- That “World’s Best Dad” Father’s Day card your daughter made for you at age 5 will soon fade and turn to dust.
And you too, my friend, will turn to dust as well.
Because of that reality, I want to know if I am going to live forever or not. And I want to know it with as much certainty as possible, because what else really matters beyond that? If there is a place like heaven, we should do anything and everything to make sure we’ll be there.
How can Sal ignores the fact that if there’s no heaven, then absolutely everything we love…and everyone we love…is going to go away? Forever!
I know what you’re thinking. You think I’d be better off not pondering these things. But I believe that’s the problem with most people. By not thinking about death, and existence, and eternity, we miss the most important question of life. And as a result, our lives lack the sweetness that truly “happy endings” bring. By acknowledging our own “expiration date”, we can actually start living lives more aware and meaningful than if we just sleep-walk through them, oblivious to the fact that soon the end credits will roll and our story in this world will be over.
But instead of savoring life and living it to its fullest, too many allow life to peeter away.
Here’s what another friend of mine says about dying:
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me…” – John 14:2-6
I just spoke those very words earlier today. I was called to the bedside of a man struggling to take his final breaths. Cancer had ravaged his body to where he looked just like a victim of a WWII concentration camp.
In his final moments, the dying man didn’t want pretty words, and he wasn’t interested in being someone’s memory. He wanted to know if Jesus would let him into heaven because he knew he wasn’t going to be in this world much longer.
I looked that man in the eye when I repeated Jesus’ words “if it were not so, I would have told you”. Jesus was saying, “This is important stuff. So important that if heaven wasn’t real, I would let you know. I’m not going to lie to you about something as important as death.”
We really need to stop telling ourselves and others cute little platitudes. Because when death comes, it’s a brutal reality. No one wants poetry or pleasantries then. They want to know when they close their eyes, they will open them in another land…that “undiscovered country” Shakespeare wrote of.
Jesus is looking us in the eye now and telling us, “Don’t worry. I’ve been there and it’s wonderful! And the reason I’ve gone there is to get things ready for you. So hurry up!”
Heaven is too real and too eternal to guess about. So despite what Sal says, you really shouldn’t guess about it either.
Finally, in answer to dear Mr. Tesh, when I get to heaven I’ll just be looking for one person. And no, it’s not my wife…
When my eyes close for the last time here on earth and they open in the next world, I’ll be looking for a man. I know if only I can find Him, all will be well. Because He’s the one my wife will be looking for, and God-willing all my kids and grandkids too.
When I find Him, I’ve found everything. That’s how it works.
Like Sal, we’ve all got a terminal condition. We just don’t know the number of months. One day, every one of us will die. If we’re smart, we’ll stop spouting platitudes and start reaching out to a very real God. For He alone will determine who lives with Him forever in a place of everlasting joy.
Sound too good to be true? No, it is the truth, because Jesus reminded us He is the way, THE TRUTH, and the life Himself. He never lied, every word He said is the very essence of Truth.
And if it were not so, He would have told you. Jesus would have told you, that is. And maybe even John Tesh.
“Thanks for reading! I really appreciate you spending some time with me today.
By the way, here’s another piece about HEAVEN I think you’ll enjoy. Check it out below, and I hope to see you again soon…”
DAVE GIPSON
So as the joke goes, “A baptist pastor dies and goes to heaven…”
But inevitably the day finally came that I did. Right now, I’m standing by a roadside. But I don’t know how I got here.
1 Comment
Barb Milburn
Wow! You cannot know how many times I’ve pondered this very question. I recall a conversation I had with my northern pastor about happiness and sadness. It had been a difficult time for my family and I was all over the place emotionally. I do recall, however, as he was allowing me to ramble, I said if not for sadness how would I know happiness. It was not a question, but a statement. He had allowed me to ramble so I could come to the conclusion on my own. I’ll always be thankful for that. Perhaps one of the two more important lessons of my life.