Heaven | Grandma's Ramblings

Reading a friend’s blog today got my mind thinking about how fast this year has gone by. How fast my life is going by.

As I thought about the years already past (76) and wondered how many years lie ahead of me, I thought of the story in the Bible of Enoch.

In the genealogy of Adam, we are told:

Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

He lived to be 365 years old, but Enoch had such a close and intimate relationship with God that one day he just vanished—God took him.

The writer of the book of Hebrews explains what it meant that “God took him.”

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.

In my head I have this story.

Every day God and Enoch would take a walk. First, as a child Enoch no doubt had a lot of questions for God.

As their friendship grew, their walks got longer and longer. The childish questions became more difficult as Enoch became older, but God had no problem answering them. He was patient and loving. Every day Enoch would rise from his bed excited about another walk with God. He wondered what he would learn today.

Finally, after many years of shared moments with God they came to the end of their walk. God said, “Enoch, we are closer to my house than yours. Why don’t you just come on to my house with me?”

And Enoch happily said “YES!”

Today I said goodbye to a dear friend. Strange that I would call her a dear friend as I only knew her a few months.

Carolyn became a friend when my pastor asked me if I would go with her to visit an elderly woman. Carolyn was in the final stages of a lung disease which was slowly taking her life. She had been battling the disease for a few years but now it had become advanced to the point that she was on oxygen 24/7. She was confined to her house and even to her recliner as the smallest task was too great for her.

After meeting Carolyn my pastor, Carolyn and I agreed that I would visit her on Fridays and take communion to her. Friday mornings found me at Carolyn’s house where I would have a cup of coffee with her, share a small devotion from God’s Word and we would take communion together.

My visits quickly became a highlight of my week. Carolyn was so alert, so intelligent and so interested in the world around her. We would share stories of our life. However, I think I shared more of my life as she would ask question after question. She was particularly interested in all the places I had lived. Since she had lived all her life in mid-Michigan, she seemed fascinated by my experiences in never staying in one place too long.

She loved QVC and more than once I carried in boxes from her front porch that Federal Express had left with her purchases from the network. A retired schoolteacher she had stories that made us laugh as she related of the antics of the students she taught.

After a visit with Carolyn, I always left feeling humbled. Here was a woman restricted to a chair or bed 24/7. She could not go to church, go to the store. She could not even walk out in her yard and see all the beautiful flowers planted there. She had to rely on others to fix her breakfast and help her get dressed. Yet she always had a sweet smile on her face and I never heard her once complain.

It was clear her family was of great importance to her and she often shared stories of her grandchildren. I never left without hearing her speak of how wonderful her son, her daughter and her son-in-law were; how much she appreciated the care they gave her.

At the last visit I had with Carolyn I realized she would not be with us much longer. She looked so tired. Hospice was now coming every week. Still, with little energy and no doubt the understanding that her life was slowly ending, she had a smile on her face. Her son was there and she wanted me to tell him about all the places I had lived. Still focused on others rather than herself.

Last Friday I was getting ready to visit her when her daughter texted me not to come. Her Mom had been in bed the last four days, and it was clear she was not going to live much longer. On Saturday I got the call that she was gone.

Today at the funeral as I could not hold back the tears, I again asked myself how I could grieve so much over someone I barely knew.

But that was the kind of person Carolyn was. She made me feel important, interesting and a person of worth. She made our visits interesting as she was curious about everything.

Tomorrow, I will miss getting in my car and driving to Carolyn’s house. I will miss our sharing of our lives. But I have hope.

Someday I will see Carolyn again. And we can continue the friendship we started here.

The Sailing Ship by Bishop Charles Henry Brent

This song from the 70’s is special to me. My first husband played this song every day for weeks before he was killed in an accident. I had it sung at his funeral. It’s a comfort to know he is “home where he belongs.”

I look forward to the day when I join him and I’ll be “home where I belong.”

Reposting this from a fellow blogger. A question I find myself thinking about more and more.

Reading the Creation story in the first chapter of Genesis I was struck by a set of phrases that occurred over and over again.

In the NIV and the NASB it reads:

“God said….and it was so.”

I loved The New Living Translation version:

“God said….and that is what happened.”

Regardless of whether you believe the creation took place in seven literal days or not, the Bible is clear that our world came into being as the direct word of God.

As I read this chapter and noted this phrase repeated over and over again, I thought of how many times in my life I can say “God said and that is what happened.”

At age 16 when my parents divorced and I felt so alone I saw in God’s Word where it said, “When my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.” God said He would be there for me….and that is what happened. As I grew up into adulthood, I found His strength and His joy was truly mine. I could cry out to Him in times of discouragement, or when I was not sure what path to follow.

At age 33 when my first husband was killed in an accident and I faced raising my two little daughters alone, God reminded me that He had said He would be with me always…even until the end of the age….and that is what happened. He gave me peace and wisdom as I struggled for direction on where to go from here. When my heart had time to heal, He gave me another husband who has been my bff for almost forty years.

At age 54 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and told the odds were not in my favor to survive, God said called to my memory that promise that “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for You are with me.” God said He would be with me through this walk….and that is what happened. I am alive over 21 years now when my doctor said I would never made it to ten years.

I could go on and on about when my husband had a heart attack, when he had a brain bleed and God was with me. Difficulties that my children have faced….God has been there.

Has all been perfect? Has God answered every prayer as I wished? No. But He has always been with me supplying the wisdom, strength and peace I have needed.

As I come to the last chapter of my life, I love the promise He made just before He returned to the Father. He said, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 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.

God said He was preparing a place for me. I look forward with great anticipation to one day be able to say, “God said He had a place for me….and that is what happened.”

Often I hear Christians talking about different Bible characters that they look forward to meeting in heaven. Names often spoken are Paul, Peter, John from the New Testament or King David, Elijah or Jeremiah from the Old Testament.

For me, my hero from the Bible is Barnabas. I can’t wait to meet him.

We first meet Barnabas in Acts 4 where we are told his real name is Joseph.  But the apostles nicknamed him Barnabas “Son of Encouragement.”

And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

I love that thought.  To be a person that so encourages others that he becomes known not by his real name but by the nickname of “The Encourager.”  That has been my prayer – that I would be someone who encourages, builds up, strengthens others.

The next time we meet Barnabas the gospel has been received in Antioch.  When news of the new group of Christians there reached the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to meet with the Christians there.  And there again he encouraged.

News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.   When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.   He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

We see Barnabas having success in the work at Antioch.  So what did he do?  He headed off to Tarsus to find Saul (who became known as Paul, the writer of much of the New Testament). 

Barnabas had been Saul’s friend when he first became a Christian.  The church at Jerusalem was afraid of Saul because they knew how he had persecuted the Christians.  But Barnabas, stepped in and told them Saul was a new man. 

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

Barnabas brought Paul back to Antioch where the two of them worked together sharing the gospel with the new church there. For a while the story mentions “Barnabas and Paul.” Then later it becomes “Paul and Barnabas.” God had clearly called Paul to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. But I find it interesting that it was Barnabas that helped Paul step up and fulfill the call of God on his life.

Later when the two of them began their second missionary trip, the young man John Mark wanted to go with them. Paul refused to take John Mark with them because he had left them halfway through their first missionary journey. Paul was not willing to give him a second chance. But Barnabas was an encourager. He separated from Paul and took John Mark with him while Paul chose Silas and began his second missionary journey.

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.”  Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,  but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,  but Paul chose Silas and left,

Interesting, in Paul’s later writings he mentions John Mark as being a helper in his ministry even saying in 2 Timothy 4:11:

Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

Some Bible scholars believe John Mark was the one who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Our story of the good news might have been incomplete without the encouragement of Barnabas.

My prayer is that I would be like Barnabas and be an encouragement to everyone I meet.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thesssalonians 5:11

You all can line up to meet the great men and women in the Bible. Me – I’ll be looking for Barnabas. I want to tell him thanks for the great example he left us.

In my small group at church this week we talked a little about how we pray.  One of the members of our group mentioned reading Paul’s prayers for the church.

Knowing what to pray for my family has always been a topic of concern for me.

I confess most of my prayers are for their needs for the “here and now.”

• Help this grandchild to find a good job
• Provide the finances for this grandchild to pay for college
• Heal this son/daughter
• Take care of this difficult situation this child is experiencing right now

Looking at the ministry of Jesus on earth I do not think praying for their physical and financial needs in this life is wrong.  While on earth Jesus often spend time meeting the needs of those who followed Him.

• He fed the hungry
• He opened the eyes of the blind
• He reached out and healed the leper
• His very first miracle was actually supplying wine for a wedding party

Clearly He was and is concerned about all our needs, not just the “spiritual” ones.

Still, when I look at the prayers the early church prayed and the prayers of Peter and Paul in their writings it is clear that their main concern was not for the “here and now.” They were not so concerned for their own needs but for God’s kingdom to be advanced, for “eternal” things.

I say as a Christian I believe  there is life after this one on earth.  I say it is my desire that my children and grandchildren know and serve the Lord.  But do my prayers really reflect that?  Am I more concerned about the “here and now” than I am with the “eternal”?

One prayer the early church prayed which I think really reflects their focus on the kingdom of God rather than their own needs, is the one found in Acts 4.  Here, Peter and John had been in prison for preaching about Jesus.  Upon being released, they were warned to stop sharing the story of Jesus and threats were made if they did not refrain from doing so.

They immediately gathered with the other believers.  Now, today if this happened to our pastor, I believe our prayers would probably be for God to protect us or to change the hearts of the religious leaders.  But I love their prayer.

“And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.  Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

To help me focus my prayers more in line with the early church, I have been praying one of Paul’s prayers for my children and grandchildren.  It is found in Colossians 1.

“We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.”

Truly I want all the best for my children and grandchildren.  It is my desire that they have great marriages, successful careers and good health.  But most of all, my greatest desire is that they will grow to know God better and better.

How do you pray for your family?

In the fall of 2002 I was diagnosed with an advanced and very aggressive cancer.  Hearing my doctors words, “The odds are not in your favor,” I realized I was heading into the battle of my life.

Would I live or would I die?

Facing your own mortality changes the way you look at the world.  Some things that seemed so important no longer matter.

• What difference does it make if I do not get that promotion I wanted.
• Who cares if the windows need washed?

Other things take on a new importance.

• Reading a book to my granddaughter.
• Taking a walk with my husband.

During that long year as I lost my hair and my strength became less and less, I thought about the very real possibility that I would never see another birthday.

We took a picture of me with my Dad and we laughed at how much I looked like him with my bald head.

Throughout it all I had a deep assurance that whatever the end result, it would be fine.  When I first heard those terrible words from my doctor, I immediately thought of the scripture that says:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me.

Feeling at that moment God had given me that scripture for this battle, I did not know if it meant I would walk through the valley and come out on the other side alive and well.  Or, did it mean I would walk through the valley into death?

For me, it did not matter which it meant.  What comforted me was the assurance no matter what the outcome, God would be with me.

As the treatment continued and my strength got less and less, I began to think perhaps it meant I was walking through the valley into death.  Thoughts of exactly what that would mean kept running through my head.

Then, I heard a song that had been released just the year before.  It had become the most played Christian single in 2002 and you could not listen to any Christian radio station without hearing it.  In fact, it became a main stream hit in 2003 hitting the top 40, adult top 40 and country radio lists.

In the song the writer talks about trying to imagine what he would do when he stands before God in heaven.  He questions:

• Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still?
• Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall?
• Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all?

Listening to that song over and over, I tried to imagine what I would do when I stood before Jesus?  Slowly in my mind a picture began to take place.  I saw myself standing with my hands raised in the air and dancing round and round the throne of God.

Wanting to live for my family, yet there were moments I wanted to see that vision fulfilled and to dance for Jesus.

I did not share this thought with my family.  For them, I continued to maintain a strong belief that I would live.

When all my treatment was finally over, my youngest daughter took me to lunch to celebrate.  She arrived with a gift for me.  It was a Willow Tree angel.

When I saw it, I almost cried with joy.  The angel she gave me was the exact vision I had of me with hands raised dancing around the throne of God.

So grateful that I survived that battle and God has given me many years beyond what the doctor said I would have.  Still, as I age I know before many more years pass, I will be facing my eternal destiny.  I have no idea what I will do on that day when I see Jesus, but I hope I can dance for Him.

A movie has been made about the life of the young man who wrote this song.  If you have not seen the movie, I highly recommend it.  It is an inspiring story of what God can do to change a monster into a good father.  The move has the same title as the song, “I Can Only Imagine.”

What do you imagine you will do when you stand before the throne of God?