Going on Vacation
We're planning one last big family trip before our oldest goes off to college. I'd like to go to Hawaii. My husband says it is too expensive. But I reminded him that I am exceptional at finding and negotiating deals for our family! So, I've started researching plane tickets, places to stay, the cost of activities, etc. I'd like to see the volcano on the big island. I'd love to stand on the beach where my grandpa first walked after coming back from Tinian at the end of WWII. Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation, and learning about the culture of Hawaii are all on my bucket list.
A lot of work goes into our family vacations. With six kids in tow, we don't do anything spontaneously - except for puking. That one always catches me by surprise! But now, I carry emesis bags with me because I prefer to be prepared. I know that no matter how organized I am, no matter how budget conscious my plans are, no matter how many different ways I can anticipate and plan for things to go awry, something unexpected will happen. But I plan anyway. My husband jokes that I would have made an excellent boy scout since "I'm always prepared."
While I am really hoping we will get to go to Hawaii and looking forward to a fun adventure if I can get the numbers to work, I know there is one trip we're definitely going to make regardless of how prepared we are. We are all going to leave this world.
My children often ask about death, so we openly discuss it. I hope and pray I don't die young. I want to be with my children as they grow up - to love them and teach them. But I know the day God calls me home will be the perfect time, even though it won't seem that way. Since I don't know the specific day of my departure, I'd like to be as prepared as possible.
Preparing for vacation and preparing for death may not seem anything alike, but to me, they are. First, I'd like to know where I'm going. While society pretends that everyone either goes to a better place or nowhere at all (two diametrically opposing assumptions), society is obviously wrong. Instead, I look to the Bible for truth. And the truth is that after we die there are two available destinations: Heaven or Hell. I choose Heaven. But here's the catch, if I want to go to Heaven, I have to get the ticket BEFORE I die. I don't get to choose which train to ride after I've passed. All those with a ticket to Heaven are immediately put on the Heaven bound train at the point of death. Those without a ticket to Heaven are given free passage to Hell.
Once I've chosen my destination, I'd also like to know what it is like there. In Hawaii there are things I want to do, as there are in Heaven too. I want to know who will be there, what it will look like, and where I'll stay. Thankfully, the Bible gives us much of that information. It also tells us about Hell. But as far as I can tell, that's not a place I want to be.
Lastly, I want to prepare my family. Unlike Hawaii, this will be a trip I take alone. I don't get to bring my family with me. Everyone who dies takes the trip by themselves. So, I want my family and friends to be ready for my trip before I leave. I want them to know where I'm going. I want them to understand that even though I'm gone from this world, I'm still alive somewhere else. I want them to prepare to make the journey later themselves. Because death isn't the end of a person's existence, it is simply the beginning of an existence somewhere else.
The ticket to Heaven is Jesus. You can't buy Him. But you can surrender to Him. While death is not something people look forward to. it is a trip we will all take. And if we can spend weeks and months planning for a family vacation, how much more should we plan for our final destination?
While I am really hoping we will get to go to Hawaii and looking forward to a fun adventure if I can get the numbers to work, I know there is one trip we're definitely going to make regardless of how prepared we are. We are all going to leave this world.
My children often ask about death, so we openly discuss it. I hope and pray I don't die young. I want to be with my children as they grow up - to love them and teach them. But I know the day God calls me home will be the perfect time, even though it won't seem that way. Since I don't know the specific day of my departure, I'd like to be as prepared as possible.
Preparing for vacation and preparing for death may not seem anything alike, but to me, they are. First, I'd like to know where I'm going. While society pretends that everyone either goes to a better place or nowhere at all (two diametrically opposing assumptions), society is obviously wrong. Instead, I look to the Bible for truth. And the truth is that after we die there are two available destinations: Heaven or Hell. I choose Heaven. But here's the catch, if I want to go to Heaven, I have to get the ticket BEFORE I die. I don't get to choose which train to ride after I've passed. All those with a ticket to Heaven are immediately put on the Heaven bound train at the point of death. Those without a ticket to Heaven are given free passage to Hell.
Once I've chosen my destination, I'd also like to know what it is like there. In Hawaii there are things I want to do, as there are in Heaven too. I want to know who will be there, what it will look like, and where I'll stay. Thankfully, the Bible gives us much of that information. It also tells us about Hell. But as far as I can tell, that's not a place I want to be.
Lastly, I want to prepare my family. Unlike Hawaii, this will be a trip I take alone. I don't get to bring my family with me. Everyone who dies takes the trip by themselves. So, I want my family and friends to be ready for my trip before I leave. I want them to know where I'm going. I want them to understand that even though I'm gone from this world, I'm still alive somewhere else. I want them to prepare to make the journey later themselves. Because death isn't the end of a person's existence, it is simply the beginning of an existence somewhere else.
The ticket to Heaven is Jesus. You can't buy Him. But you can surrender to Him. While death is not something people look forward to. it is a trip we will all take. And if we can spend weeks and months planning for a family vacation, how much more should we plan for our final destination?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
- John 14:6
You're right on, Sarah - thanks so much for another excellent article!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement!
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