THE Perfect Gift

On Saturday I celebrated my 37th birthday surrounded by some of my precious family.  We ate food, took pictures, and played games. I received thoughtful and generous gifts.  On Saturday evening we received a phone call that Steve, a friend from church, died in a motorcycle accident.  It was sudden, it was unexpected, it hurts.  One moment we are laughing, celebrating the next moment we are stunned, grieving. 

Over the last couple of days I keep getting this picture in my head:

I see an army in marching order with a vacant spot.  The marching is slow, sad feeling. I keep thinking this army is my church, the local body of believers that I worship with, the vacant spot is Steve's spot.  We are hurting, wounded and one of our own is missing but we are still marching.  Life does not stop to allow us to grieve so we move forward.  We go to work, we cook dinner, we laugh, we make plans for the future but never far from our minds is the gap that Steve leaves or his precious family.  Prayers are constantly on our hearts for peace and comfort for his wife, his children, his parents, his siblings, his friends, ourselves.  Despite the pain,we find comfort and rejoice in the fact that although Steve is gone from this earth, from our midst, he is very much alive in our Father's house. 

Steve is not in heaven because of his kindness, his humor or his willingness to help others.  Those are things that we will miss. Steve is in heaven because he trusted Jesus' death on the cross as payment for his sins.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"  John 3:16.  The perfect gift that is offered to everyone. However, just like any gift, in order to possess it you must first receive it.

Death cannot be avoided on this earth but you can miss heaven, eternal life, by denying the gift that God is holding out to you.  Don't wait!