The Book

I was told last night that I am a private person and that I tend to do a lot of listening of other people's problems rather than sharing things about myself. I agreed with them and tried to share with these people why that is. It is very simple actually.....but the simplicity of it....confuses most people.

I'm just trying to get to heaven. My daughter is there and I want to see her.

That's it.

I made a decision after she passed that I had better do whatever it takes to make sure that I get to where her new home was. I literally fell to my knees in a hotel room in Grand Rapids and asked God to just take me in whatever direction He needed me to go. I gave up the fight and submitted myself to Him. A couple of weeks later I found myself interviewing for a youth minister job in Kentucky......I love the way that God works. I get up every morning determined to try and do what God wants me to do that day. Somedays I get it right and others I don't....but I try. I have decided that I am going to work my butt off until God tells me to stop.....when that happens I know I'll be able to see my daughter again.

Isn't that all we want? An all expense paid trip to heaven? In the back of our minds we hope that when our time here on earth ends that we go up rather than down. It is scary for some people and for others it is a point of joy. We all have sinned and we all will continue to sin throughout our lives.....and each time we wince and shake our heads in disgust. We hope that the sin we committed isn't the "final straw", the "final chance", and with one big swoop God erases our names from the Book of Good People.

Guess what? The Book of Good People is only a one page hardcover with one name in it: Jesus Christ. None of us are worthy to be entered into that book. We sin and no matter how hard we try to stop...we will always be "addicted" to that cruel drug.

I may get up everyday and work to see where God wants me to be, but I still sin. I don't like that I do it and there are times I get very frustrated with myself. I would like nothing more than to have a day in which I could successfully go to bed and feel as if I have been "pure".....still waiting for that day to happen. The question that then comes up is, "How can you be so sure that you will see your daughter again, especially since you are a proclaimed sinner?"

The answer? It is because I have a reserved slot in the best seller: The Book of Saved People (which by the way is the powerful sequel to The Book of Good People). I believe that God sent His only son to die for our sins. That belief is my one way ticket to my daughter. I may sin and I may have some really bad days in which I am sure that God is shaking His head in utter disbelief.....but I am human. The fact of being human means that I am not perfect and that I have a Father who understands and loves me for what I am. I am forgiven therefore I get a spot in the book. Which means that when I sign my name to my slot.....I know that my daughter will be right next to me and that makes me smile. A lot.

The cool thing is that all of us have a spot in the book.....we just have to decide if we believe in what the author is telling us.

Do you believe?