Everlasting Place
  • Home
  • One way
    • Proof
  • Sadie Sparrow
    • Sadie Sparrow Excerpt
    • Author Chat
    • Articles
    • Book Reviews
  • Memoir
    • Memoir Excerpts
    • Reviews, interviews & endorsements
  • Blogs
    • Eternal eyes: a blog about forever
    • Golden years: a blog about the elderly
  • Old folks
    • Planting tips for Christians
  • Messages from Chris Carrillo
  • Library
  • Bookstore
  • Contact

Will they miss you when you're gone?

3/27/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Over the last almost two decades of hanging out with the very elderly, I’ve found that there are two basic kinds of people at life’s end—those who’ve tended their spiritual needs and those who haven’t.
 
The former tend to be peaceful and content, no matter how physically handicapped they may be, or how sick, or how alone. They are an inspiration to us young ‘uns, and a joy to visit. And when they’ve gone on ahead, they are remembered often and missed greatly.
 
The latter, on the other hand—those who have no use for the spiritual—tend to be chronically sad, lonely, crabby, complaining, bored, and often clinging tearfully to their once-active pasts. It’s a recipe for despair. And I see a lot of it—more and more as the years go by, which is no doubt a reflection of our culture’s increasing embrace of the material world and growing neglect of the spiritual.
 
The ancient Greek philosophers posed three very important questions whose answers may predict which category you’re likely to fall into should you live to a ripe old age:

  1. Where did you come from?
  2. What are you doing here?
  3. Where are you going?
 
If you’re Christian, you’ll be able to answer all three quickly, and with great certainty. And whether you’ve been a member of that blessed group for 50 hours or 50 years, your assurance should land you solidly in the first group of people on the cusp of eternity—those who’ve tended their spiritual needs, and are therefore peaceful and content.
 
If you are not Christian, you may be able to answer these questions with a little guesswork and a lot of wishful thinking. Or perhaps you’ll be stumped. Either way, you may be headed for the second group of old folk—those who are sad, lonely, crabby, complaining, bored, and clinging to the past.
 
That’s my prediction, at any rate, based on many years of observation.
 
But there’s good news even for the despairing, because it’s never too late to change your tune. If you’d like to know for sure where you came from, what you’re doing here, and where you’re going, simply ask the Lord to save you. There are no magic words; just pray a prayer something like this one:
 
Dear God,
I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. Instead, I repent of all my sin, trust in You as my Lord and Savior, and gratefully receive Your free gift of eternal life. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for dying on the cross in payment for my sin and for rising from the dead to defeat death once and for all. Please cleanse me of my iniquity and make me Yours forevermore. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

 
When you pray something like this from your heart, the Lord will instantly forgive you and grant you everlasting life. Congratulations—you are irrevocably heaven-bound!
 
Then, set your heart on growing in your new faith. Begin studying the Bible, turning first to the New Testament gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And if possible, find a mature Christian to disciple you. Not that these things are necessary for salvation; they are not. But they’ll go a long way towards assuring you of peace and contentment in this life, and transforming you into the sort of old person who’ll be greatly missed when you go on ahead. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Kitty
    Foth-Regner

    I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, a freelance copywriter, a nursing-home volunteer, and the author of books both in-process and published -- including
    Heaven Without Her.

    Archives

    December 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Care to subscribe?

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from Anas Qtiesh, quinn.anya, skippyjon, gagilas, ulrichkarljoho, Schleeo, djpoblete09, 00alexx, NathanPeck, Riccardo Palazzani, MaartenEyskens, jfinnirwin, romana klee, bundesinnung_ha, theglobalpanorama, Street Photography Addict, StockMonkeys.com, Robert Agthe, Genista, Neillwphoto, frankieleon, RamónP, National Eye Institute, Pink Dispatcher, Tony Webster, quinn.anya, Peter23394, anna gutermuth, neovain, Keith Allison, lewisha1990, Phú Thịnh Co, byzantiumbooks, avlxyz, eastmidtown, 593D ESC, simpleinsomnia, mcohen.chromiste, Pictures by Ann, Stampendous, loop_oh, tedeytan, TipsForComputer.Com, ssilberman, pedrosimoes7, forayinto35mm, Never Edit, GlasgowAmateur, weiss_paarz_photos, Borya, The Graphic Details, robynejay, allenthepostman, quinn.anya, u.hopper, fallingwater123, Alyssa L. Miller, Vincent Albanese, homethods, ponyQ, Braiu, CNE CNA C6F, oakenroad, Tim Evanson, medisave, irinaraquel, Steve Ganz, Nieve44/Luz, roscoland2, One Way Stock, Film Star Vintage, ulrichkarljoho, anieto2k, meaduva, Homini:), campbelj45ca, Nicolas Alejandro Street Photography, Hades2k, Alyssa L. Miller, Carlos Ebert, @Tuncay, kms1167, Petful.com, m01229, jonrawlinson, Brian Smithson (Old Geordie), Blogging Dagger, fechi fajardo, SurfaceWarriors, Leah Abernathy, evans.photo, brianna.lehman, mikecogh, Ejuice, christine.gleason, Free Grunge Textures - www.freestock.ca, Derek Bridges, ulrichkarljoho, One Way Stock, Matt Cunnelly, nandadevieast, cathyse97, quinn.anya, faungg's photo, Lars Plougmann, C Jill Reed, johnthoward1961, mcohen.chromiste, hardeep.singh, physiognomist, ulrichkarljoho, 401(K) 2013, Very Quiet, BromfordGroup, garryknight, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, acasasola, mrbillt6, simpleinsomnia, johanSisno, GollyGforce, Jo Jakeman, Mire de rien, Chris Mower, lotopspin, Marlene Rybka Visualizing & Photography, RLHyde, jez.atkinson, orionpozo, quinn.anya, global.quiz, Public Places, alubavin, drs2biz, espensorvik, ♔ Georgie R, h.koppdelaney, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, Images_of_Money, ttarasiuk, TheArches