A little different but worth reading!

Yesterday afternoon I got a phone call from my brother Brent. His partner had just received a phone call that his forty nine year old sister had passed away. This was just one of many phone calls this past week I had received delivering bad news. The first phone call I got on Saturday morning was to tell me that my eighteen year old nephew Austin had been in a very serious auto accident and was in critical condition with a skull fracture, brain swelling and a laundry list of other breaks and contusions. Then another phone call at around three in the morning on Sunday from my sister stating that she was at Mom's and they had called the squad to take my Mom to the hospital. Brent said that he just left the house with his partner where the family had gathered to mourn together and comfort each other. Brent was very upset not just about the passing of his partner's sister but about what the daughter of the deceased has said to him. The young girl who just lost her mother was crying and hugging my brother and then said to my brother, "Brent I know my Momma wasn't perfect, she wasn't even really good a lot of the time but, do you think she will still get to heaven?" This statement nearly broke my brothers heart as it did mine when he told me. Brent ask me what I thought about it. I told him that I believe that I serve a loving and forgiving God. I feel God through his son Jesus Christ gives us every opportunity to repent of our sin and seek his forgiveness. I feel he gives us this opportunity even unto our last breath on earth. I would just have to trust that she took advantage of the opportunity and is now with him in heaven. I then told him that instead of being sad about the girl's statement let it serve him and to all of us as a reminder. How very very sad that this poor young woman is now without her mother to comfort her and see her grow. Saddest of all if that on top of losing her that she has to question rather she is in heaven. I told my brother let this be a lesson to make sure that we don't leave this earth and our loved ones behind with that questions in their minds. Let this terrible loss be used for God's glory to make those of us still here a little better. So that on that day when each of us goes to meet our maker and answer for the things we have done. That our friends and family left behind will of course be sad at our passing but also comforted that we have gone some place much better. When I came home exhausted from the difficulties of the last couple of days I hit my knees to pray. I asked God to please allow me to live in the awareness of his spirit each and everyday I have. So that on that day when my journey here is through that those people gathered to mourn will also be gathered to celebrate in the knowledge that I am with the one I have served. I pray this for all people I pray that each day we get the conviction of the holy spirit on our lives and we conduct ourselves in a way that will not cause our family and friends to question our eternal soul and our salvation. During this last difficult week and weekend I nearly got sucked in to the ways of the world. I was beginning to see so much sadness, ugliness, mean spiritedness and was close to thinking...if you can't beat em....join em. Needless to say after that call I changed my way of thinking. If today were my last day I sure don't want to spend it being anything less than what God would have me be. So my prayer for today is not just for me but for all of us. God guide us, lead us to where you would have us to be, let us be compassionate, kind, forgiving and loving to one another. Don't allow our hearts to judge, our tongues to harm, our hands to destroy anything that you created. And above all God thank you for your son Jesus and the sacrifice you made for all of us. Oh and one more thing God...you know I am ornery I hope you understand and I would really like a few more funny stories and misadventures that I can share with others. And I promise God I won't beat em...I won't join em...but I will try to make em' laugh. Love and blessings to all!!