A number of years ago, Janet and I had our wills done, along with instructions for doctors in the event that life or death decisions had to be made. We also started to thing about specific assets and how they would be distributed. Of course, there were many things that we hadn’t considered and the thoughts we had about our estate years ago are different than the thoughts that we have today. I remember that we were reluctant to broach this subject – one that is difficult for most families.
Part of that is that our children are all in their forties and we now have four grandsons coming up as the next generation in the family. Way back when, we really didn’t consider what our responsibility may be and, to be sure, we didn’t have as many years of working and asset growth to consider.
All of that has changed. Our thoughts on economics and estates have evolved throughout the years. Even our thoughts on prolonging life beyond a reasonable limit have changed. So we are starting over.
Our attorney has, in a way, prepared us for “the talk” with our kids. We never thought it would be horrible, however we have been told horror stories about conversations related to estates and the traditional topics of death and dying. So I spent part of the last week preparing what I was going to say. Then, in the middle of the night before our chat, I was struck by a completely different take on things.
Now I am a big believer that God speaks to us in the middle of the night when He has our full undivided attention. Too many of us, including myself, are busy during the day and we don’t run things past the Father oftentimes. But I think we serve a patient God and so He waits until He has our complete attention. Even if that means that He wakes us up in the middle of the night.
And I think that is what happened, once again, to me. Because suddenly I knew exactly what to say to the kids. And I believe it with all my heart. The truth of the matter is that we are all believers and that means that our eternal lives have already begun. That happened when we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.
The result of that truth is that we will spend eternity together. Since we are together now, and will eventually be reunited throughout all eternity, we aren’t talking about death and dying. We are talking about a short temporary separation when some of us will already be in heaven while the rest of us are waiting to join those who have gone before.
Therefore, Janet and I are trying to make sure that everyone is taken care of until we are all reunited for eternity. And that’s exactly the way that we presented it. I am so glad that I had that divine nudge in the middle of the night. There’s no denying that I was raised to eventually lead the family. That’s from my earliest recollections. And in some obtuse way, our plans and instructions embody our desires for the kids to carry on, for a time, after Janet and I have entered the heavenly realm.
There are many other conversations that still need to happen, but the ball is rolling. Short of the rapture occurring anytime soon, it would be irresponsible for us to not have a family action plan in place to take care of those who have not yet been called home to heaven.
Our verse for tonight affirms that there is a heaven. In fact, Jesus has gone before us to prepare the way. The apostle John, the disciple who Jesus loved, tell us this truth in John 14. He tells us the words of Jesus in John 14:1-6, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
My encouragement this evening is that we have a divine promise that we will live eternally with God. My prayer is that we will always hold on to that promise and not fear this temporary separation that believers will face until their families are reunited for all time. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…