When
they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him
with their teeth. But
he (Stephen), being full of the Holy
Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the
right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son
of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Acts 7:54-56
This
past week, our family received the sad news of the death of a longtime member
of our former church in Anniston, Alabama. Mrs. Leola, at the age of 95,
passed away with her family surrounding her bedside. Leola had been a
steadfast member of the congregation for as many years as I had attended there,
and a member there since my husband, Mark, was a little boy. A native
Texan, often known as 'Tex', Leola spent much of her time making sure the poor
had plenty of food at the local Community Enabler. She had been a proud
supporter of the local Girl Scouts and as a Troop Leader, she led many a young
girl over the years in the adventures of scouting. Within a few minutes
of meeting her, you’d know she was a proud Texan, loved scouting, had not a shy
bone in her body…and that she loved Jesus.
Upon
hearing of her passing, I was lying awake thinking about her. I looked at out
the window to the night sky and said to myself, "I wonder what the first
thing was that she saw when she opened her eyes in Heaven."
Immediately, an inaudible but very clear and familiar voice spoke to my heart
and said, “Me!!!” I smiled, a bit embarrassed that I had been focused on the
appearance of Heaven’s surroundings rather than thinking about the Lord Himself. I can’t imagine the joy she felt seeing His
face and being in His presence! Can you?
The
season of Lent is a time of self-denial for us as we consider the sacrifices
made by Christ for our sake which led to His crucifixion and death. May we, as we reflect on those sacrifices,
also look past the day of His death to His resurrection and consider the
promise we have…just as Leola had…of seeing Him face to face one day if we
receive Him in our hearts. Can you
imagine? What a day that will be!
Prayer:
Dear
Heavenly Father, thank you for the sacrifices you have made for us that we
might one day enter our eternal home and be with you. Forgive us for focusing on the wrong things
sometimes and help us to ever keep our eyes on you, seeking to fulfill the
mission you have given us here on Earth.
May our journey here be one that is pleasing to you with the purpose of
bringing others to you that they may also join you in your Heavenly Kingdom one
day. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
