Christian Living

What Are You Doing Here?

by Stephen A. Peterson
09/26/14
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What Are You Doing Here?

© 2014 by Stephen A. Peterson

While driving to purchase electronic equipment, 19 year old .Justin Sinclair momentarily texted messaged his friend. As he was texting, he failed to realize that he had crossed over into the opposite lane. Justin was instantly killed by an oncoming semi-tractor trailer.

In no time, Justin stood before St. Peters at the gates of heaven. “Welcome,” said St. Peter.

“Welcome?” replied Justin. “What do you mean? What’s going on? And who are you?”

“I am Peter. You are in heaven,” responded St. Peter.

“Heaven!”

“Yes, Justin. You died just a short time ago.”

“What?” as he took a moment to gather himself.

“Don’t stand out there, come in. Let me show you around as well as where you will be living,” said St. Peter.

In a moment, Justin saw someone he recalled seeing while he was alive on earth. “Hey, I know you! You’re Stan Resor! What are you doing here? I remember you! You were really a wild person. You stole old man Feehley’s car, wrecked it and got away with it by blaming Joe Kiefner. Everybody knew you did it! You also cheated on just about every school test we had. You even joined a gang and murdered another kid. I remember now! You were killed in a motorcycle accident. When the investigation was completed, the Medical Examiner determined that you died with so much alcohol and cocaine in your system beyond what is normal.”

Then Justin saw Angela Carter. “Angie? What are you doing in heaven? Dang! You told so many lies about everyone you didn’t like! You are one of the most hateful many of us kids have ever met!”

When no one spoke to Justin, he asked St. Peter: “Why does everyone who I knew on earth have that stunned look on their face?”

“Well, Justin, they are stunned and surprised to see you here in heaven. You see, they recall the many sins and violations of God’s laws and commandments you broke while on earth.”

For those of us who go to heaven, many will be surprised by the people who one did not expect to be there and by those we expect to see and will not see. What no human knows nor truly understands is God’s mercy, unconditional love and who reconciled their lives with Almighty God before their death. Ask virtually anyone where they believe the Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler is, or the criminal, Al Capone, Georgia Tate responsible for the deaths of hundreds of infant children, the immediate response is usually “Hell”. Or ask where they believe Mother Teresa of India who aided the poor, or Nicholas now referred to as “Santa Claus”, or Thomas Dooley who dedicated his life and died treating the sick in Cambodia. The response would most likely be “heaven”. However, the reverse could be true in each one of these examples. No one knows truly the personal conditions of another’s situation except God. Towards the end of a person’s life, God will be the judge and have the final say as to who will be in eternal joy and who will know eternal damnation.