Heaven Bound

Some of the greatest blessings that come with being a speaker are the people I meet as I travel from town to town and church to church. Like the gals in Solomon, Kansas, who put a fake snake and mouse and frog in my bed. Or the woman in Polo, Illinois, who met Jesus at the weekend retreat at a church camp. Or the young man in St. Louis, Missouri, who called me "Tennessee Tater" for four days. Or the women from all over who keep in contact with me and have become my friends. So many different folks over the last 10 years ... so many stories, so many entwined and connected lives, so many blessings in these brothers and sisters in the Lord.

For those who are avid readers of this blog, you have followed me along on my beloved walking trail, keeping step with me as God teaches me lesson after lesson as J.R. and I march along on our nightly walks. I've met quite a few people as we hoof it each night, and earlier this year, I met Andy, a Baptist minister whose love for the Lord was contagious and recognizable in our first conversation. Andy and I have had many conversations since that initial one, and he recently asked me to come and speak to a group of folks at his church for their Wednesday evening gathering. As is so often the case, I left the church last Wednesday feeling more than abundantly blessed myself.

Andy's group was ... well ... different than many of the groups I'm asked to address. Most often, I speak to women's groups whose ages run the gamut from young to old. Andy's crowd was made up of men and women, and they were an older, wiser group than my usual audience. And, to be completely honest, I was a little nervous as to how well they would receive my at times warped sense of humor. There's nothing worse as a speaker than delivering a line that you think is hilarious and have it met with complete silence ... or worse yet, groans of disapproval. These folks, however, were simply awesome ... warm and welcoming, smiling and laughing and nodding their heads in agreement as I spoke.

Andy had asked me to share my testimony, and in doing so, it seems that at some point during the story, I always end up talking about heaven. As I began to tell the group that my view of heaven has changed recently ... that I think about heaven more ... that I wonder about heaven more ... that I long for heaven more ... I noticed smiles cross the weathered faces of many of the precious men and women in the group. Their countenances reflected something deep, something touching, something tender. It was one of those God moments ... a moment when it was as if I suddenly knew what those kind and gentle souls were thinking. "We're closer to heaven than you are, young woman, we are closer to heaven than we've ever been." Tears welled in my eyes as I looked around the room and saw the peace, the serenity, the comfort in the knowing and wise eyes that gazed back at me.

Only God knows the numbers of those precious ones' days, just as He is the only one who knows the number of the days He has appointed to me or you. Age doesn't matter ... sickness doesn't matter ... time doesn't matter ... all that matters is that my Father in heaven is in control of all things, and He will one day call me home to be with Him for all eternity. As I drove away from the church last Wednesday, one prayer flooded my mind and engulfed my heart.

"Help me to cherish every day, Lord, every moment that You allow me to have ... help me to be your servant in all I say and do ... help me to live my life wisely in a way that honors You at all times. I want to be all yours, God, all yours, so that when that day comes ... when the days you have appointed to me are complete ... when I'm heaven bound ... You will find me ready for the journey."