Fifty-seven years ago, when I was a senior in high school and taking a government class, a new graduate from college teacher asked the class what each person’s goal was. As the various students shared their hopes and dreams for the future, it finally was my turn to share what my goal was. I simply stated that my goal was to get to heaven. After a very brief deadening silence, the teacher changed the subject, in a short time the class was over. The subject never came up again.
Being introverted, religious, not very interested in others, and spending a lot of time alone, you would guess that I was not very popular, and you would be right. Those characteristics are still with me today. I am never going to win a popularity contest, be the life of the party, or have many friends, and that is ok. It is just who I am. One thing that has never changed is the goal I have of getting to heaven.
However, I am blessed beyond belief and am grateful beyond imagining. Who would have ever guessed that this nerd would have an encounter with Jesus that would forever bless him? It is miraculous that I met and married a beautiful woman, have wonderful siblings, have three grown, successful, and morally good children, two great sons-in-law, a beautiful daughter-in- law, wonderful siblings-in-in-law, five wonderful grandchildren, four college degrees, and two wonderful careers, in spite of suffering a traumatic brain injury at age eighteen. Quite often I think of myself as having died in that car accident and am now in heaven. I can’t imagine that my life could be better. I like my life!
Making a priority of getting into heaven has been a guiding goal in my life. I am not so much scared of going to hell, but am anticipating the joy of eternal love. I fail to understand how much better things will be when I get there, because things are pretty good now. I like to think of this life as the appetizer and heaven as the entre. Holy smoke!
“May the Lord bless and keep you. May he let his face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you his peace.”
