A loved one in my extended family took his heavenly flight last Monday. It was totally unexpected. Jim leaves a huge hole in his loved ones’ hearts.
Life is so unpredictable. The day I found out Jim died I’d spent my morning clearing wet cardboard, old furniture, and a moldy suitcase from my basement. Incessant rain in the Atlantic community keeps flooding my basement despite the herculean effort men in my life have put into building interior and exterior French drains.
As I hauled junk to my garbage Toter I had no idea Jim had passed away. I was just going along, doing what I had to do that morning before I took my daily walk. My plans included a guitar lesson and hopefully working on my novel before day’s end.
And then, bam. Mom told me Jim died. Nothing else mattered but her grief. Not the wet basement. Not learning notes on the B string. Not plotting scenes in my book.
And the brevity and unpredictability of life struck me anew. Five loved ones of my friends and family died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2019. And it’s only June. In my little world, this is a huge number.
This is why it’s imperative to know exactly where we’re going when we breathe our last. So many people deny the existence of heaven and hell. They don’t even want to think about it, much less have a deep discussion. They roll their eyes when I say things like, “I know he’s with Jesus.” They shut me down with questions such as,
“If God loves me so much, why did he let [my husband, son, cousin, best friend] die?”
“Why didn’t he stop 9/11 or the Holocaust?”
“Why does he let bad things happen to good people? And why do good things happen to bad people?”
They glare at me. They cross their arms and challenge me to try to answer them. But what they’re really saying is, “My decisions don’t determine my eternal destiny.”
Wrong. Our decision to dedicate our lives to Jesus or to ignore the opportunity determines precisely where our spirits fly after we die.
God sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He knows who will accept and who will reject him. He also knows our earthly and heavenly job assignments. My work isn’t done yet. My cousin Jim’s was. So I’ll remain on earth while Jim lives on in eternity.
I don’t know all the tasks God has in store for me. I know I’m called to raise two children, now teenagers. I’m also called to write. And then I have to factor in spiritual gifts. I believe one of mine is teaching the Bible. I teach children’s Sunday school with my mom. I’m not a minister, understand. But God has given me the ability to read and understand the Bible, and to incorporate it into Sunday school and Bible study lessons, as well as my writing.
Note well that applying spiritual gifts always points people to God. If you have a gift that doesn’t ultimately lead people to look to heaven, it’s not a spiritual gift. It’s a talent. But you can always redirect your talent to glorify God if you choose to.
I once envisioned a life as an English professor. I’d use my teaching gift and earn a good wage. But God didn’t want this. He wanted me to write and teach on a smaller scale. Do I wish I could earn a living as a writer? Yeah. Of course. But I’m thankful to have the chance to write for publication in any format. And I’m especially grateful when I hear from a reader I’ve encouraged.
No matter what you’ve suffered, believe God cares, and waits for you to ask him to support you in your grief. He will. No person can sustain you as God can and will. And if you haven’t decided to give your life to Jesus, please do. None of us knows which day will be our last on earth. Make sure you settle things with God. I’d like you to meet my cousin Jim one day. He’s in heaven. He’s the kind of gentleman who will greet you with a warm handshake. You’ll like him.
All God’s blessings to you this week.