April 23rd, 2019

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
~ Matthew 28:20
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One of the things that seems to happen after the resurrection is that people are trying to adjust to a "new normal."

Jesus has died, but now he has risen. I know how I am about asking questions of people about their life experiences. I can only begin to imagine the questions I would be asking Jesus about now.

One of the things that I encounter almost daily are people asking me, "What will 'it' be like?"

The "it" in this case is the death experience, and what heaven will be like. In actuality, there are only a few documented people in scripture who were brought back from death, with no account of what their death experience was like, or what their encounter with heaven felt like. They remain the last real mystery of our faith, and that eternal contact with our Creator.

For some, spending time thinking about their own mortality can leave them anxious. I remember my grandfather telling me that he hoped he would, "Be awake when I die."

I finally asked him, "Why?" one day.

His response? "I don't want to miss it!"

In a way God was faithful to him and his wish, as he awoke just prior to his death, and he was able to tell my grandmother he was about to die and that he loved her.

I'm not sure what I hope for when it comes to my own death. Some say that it's rather morbid to think about death, but if we are truthful, our encounter with our mortality is something we encounter each day.

Our mortality waits in the wings, in the shadows of our minds, and is the essence of our faith. It remains as the threshold to heaven, and will be present when God calls us into eternity.

I am reminded that there will be a place for each of us. It is not just the cornerstone of our faith, but serves as a reminder that God loves us so much.

Do not worry... Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2019