THE INHERITANCE

JEWELS OF HEAVEN, NASA

The state of North Carolina presently has over $711,000,000 in unclaimed property in the care of the state treasurer.  Like most states, they have a website on the internet where one can go to sign in and check if they have claim to a variety of abandoned property such as bank accounts, wages, utility deposits, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, bonds, and contents of safe deposit boxes that typically have been abandoned for one to five years. 

  

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”  And yet many more people than live in North Carolina have left this inheritance on the table and not claimed it for themselves by simply following the teachings, life and death of the Son of God who walked among us over 2,000 years ago. 

Scripture directs us not to store up treasures on earth where rust and moths will destroy them, but to live our lives so that our promised treasure is waiting for us in the kingdom of heaven.  But we must have the conviction and faith in our heavenly Father as we face the challenges of life to claim this inheritance.

When God freed the Israelites from the bonds of slavery in Egypt, he showed them their inheritance in the promised land of Canaan that was occupied by 31 kingdoms.  These people were almost immediately incapable of seizing their inheritance and wanted to return to the perceived sanctuary of the Pharaoh of Egypt.  Hence, they wandered for forty years in the wilderness desert until another generation replaced them that was seasoned to seize the prize!  The generation of slaves no longer had the courage and vision for freedom under the sanctuary of their God.  They chose the easy path, even though it came with the price of slavery.  And people can be the slaves of many things, not just a Pharaoh in Egypt!

The next generation entered the promised land under the protection of their God, defeated those 31 kingdoms, and claimed their earthly inheritance.  That kind of resolute faith can now carry all of us on a path that leads to our eternal inheritance with our Heavenly Father!   

THE ADVENTURE OF OPENING DOORS

Opening the Door, Jamestown, NC

“I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.” --Joseph Campbell

My two-year old grandson was visiting this Easter weekend and quickly discovered the pass-through door between the kitchen and dining room.  He immediately became fascinated with the ability to turn the door knob and move between the rooms to new adventures and imaginings.  He’s a naturally curious little guy which will serve him well in future life and the door provided endless play time in coming and going.  First, he drove his lighted fire truck through the matrix into new dimensions and then wheeled his tow truck into the portal to new adventures.  Soon he was beckoning his parents and Papa to open the door at his request or opening the door for them as they politely knocked on the other side to obtain entrance into his world.

Joseph Campbell has also written that "people say what we're all seeking is the meaning of life...I think what we're seeking is the experience of being alive."  There’s no better model of behavior for being alive than to experience the life of a two-year old at play.  There are no filters to edit out the most basic wonders of the world around us that we can no longer see or appreciate.  There is no bias or fear of giving strangers a high five if our family has introduced us.  An empty container, a cardboard box, a small fallen tree branch or an everyday door can be the source of endless entertainment when the imagination is engaged.  Having someone whose voice you recognize that is knocking on the other side makes for great fun when you open the door and find them waiting to greet you.

A famous painting exists of a prominent closed door with Jesus standing outside knocking. The subtle focal point of the painting is that the door does not have a door knob on the outside.  It’s the best example I can think of that illustrates the concept of free will which we all have been endowed with to either invite him into our lives or to shut him out.  But I believe that if we follow our bliss and freely open the door, we will encounter joy in life and experience the priceless adventure of being alive forever! 

LENTEN HOPE

LENTEN SEASON, JUMC, Jamestown, NC

The worst thing is never the last thing

As I was preparing to drive to our weekly mission for elementary students where I volunteer each Monday afternoon, I was wondering if my time and efforts were making any difference at all.  We had been having informal conversations about how to keep the kids settled down so that we could actually make a difference in their lives by mentoring and sending them home with a hot dinner.  Maybe our presence meant nothing at all.

Our leader started the free after school program with a singing rehearsal to prepare the students for a short program this Lenten Sunday at our church.  I sat at an empty table across from them and watched them sing.  Then a small third grade girl slipped up beside me and softly asked if she could talk to someone.  I noticed that she seemed distressed as her head was bowed.  I looked down and said “Of course, what’s the matter”, not really expecting anything too troubling.  She put her small arms around me and whispered something so soft with the singing in the background that I couldn’t understand her.  I leaned down to make eye contact with her teared-up eyes and saw the grieving tears slowly trail down her cheeks.  She ever so slightly raised her voice and said, “My grandmother died yesterday.”

I was totally caught off guard and could only reply “Oh, I’m so sorry.”  We just stood there as the other children continued their rehearsal and hugged for a minute.  Two other helpers comforted the girl and then I directed her over to an empty table and let her pour out her pent-up emotions before I spoke again.  It occurred to me that she may have just come to the realization that she would never see her grandmother again and that they must have had a very loving relationship.

I mentioned to the little girl that both of my grandmothers had died, but I knew they were safe and happy in God’s heaven.  And I was certain that they were OK and even sometimes watching over me too.  That finally seemed to provide some hope and reassurance that everything would eventually get better.  When the singing was finished and an activity time had begun, two of the other children asked what was wrong and to their credit, immediately invited the little girl to join them.  Soon she was smiling again.

Defeating death on that Black Friday afternoon over two thousand years ago and rising from the empty tomb is the great hope for all mankind.  That eternal truth once more revealed itself to me through the tearful eyes of a young child this Lenten season.  And I knew that I had made a difference today.