Heaven Knows...............

Anytime I hear about the death of someone, my heart leaps. I always wonder where we are going. Indeed, life they say is a journey and to me, I think it’s true. I remember this particular song that was usually played on radio when I was little. I never understood the words until I grew up. In his song, the singer said life is a journey and that he doesn’t know when, how or where he will die but only God knows. I ponder over these words and I pray to God everyday not to let me die a shameful or painful death.

Death is inevitable and I would want everyone to bear that in mind. What you should rather be concerned about is where you will be going from this world. It is rather unfortunate that dead people don’t come back to life to tell us where they are and how the conditions there are like (I stand to be corrected if there has been someone who died and came back to life to tell their story) but one thing I know for sure is that the Bible does not lie; whatever the Bible says is true. If the Bible says there is a heaven and a hell, then I believe it is true. A friend once asked a question about  how I would feel if I died when I got old and found out there was no heaven or hell and all I said was, “Dude, I will praise God!.”

I get worried about people who behave like they will never die (the Methuselahs’, lol). There are people who think they rule the world forgetting that there is a great ruler who has the world in His hands. I’d rather be humble and yearn for a longer life on earth to worship my Creator than to walk around carrying the world on my shoulders when my life can be taken away from me at any time. My dear, I don’t think holding on to the worldly properties would help; after all, all the certificates and the achievements in life do not save us from death because if it did, I bet we would all be immortals and death would be for the lazy.

Remember this life is a journey and the world is our temporal home. We all have a permanent home above where there will be neither pain nor sorrows, where we will walk on gold, where angels will sing and rejoice to welcome us and that will be where our God will open His arms to welcome us and say “Welcome home”. I urge you to think about this and make a wise decision but remember, we will all enter that 6 feet which has been reduced to 4 due to insufficient land for burying the dead, lol but in all seriousness I would want us to have an idea of where we are going after this life.

            What a joyful day it will be when we all get to heaven to meet Jesus someday!!

The tree in our lives......

I read a post on Tyler Perry’s wall where he likened the people in our in our lives to the parts of a tree. He wrote that there are people who are like the leaves of a tree, those people are not to be worried about because they just enter and leave our lives without leaving any “footprints”.  These types of people are only there to celebrate your success with you but will never be found when you are in need. I call these people swashbucklers; they flamboyantly express their affection for you but run away when you are in a mess. The “leaves” in your life are the ones who reveal your secrets to others and gossip about you. These leaves will never pull you up on the ladder of success; they will rather climb that ladder alone and will always seek your downfall. They bless you with their mouths but always curse you in their hearts. Just look at how leaves fall easily in harsh weather conditions and you will know what I am talking about.  Leaves are so green under favourable conditions but fall easily under unfavourable conditions. Don’t worry about the “leaves” in your life because they don’t care about you!

The next group of people in our lives are the “branches”. The branches of a tree are obviously stronger than the leaves. Branches are able to withstand bad weather conditions but have a tendency of breaking when there is a mighty wind or a storm. In reality, the “branches” in our lives may be our close friends and even some relations. They are there when you are in pain or in trouble but most of them turn away when they have to help. They usually make promises they can’t fulfil and keep giving excuses for turning you down. Never put your trust in the “branches” because they may not be there when you need them most.

We then come to the stems. Oh, I love the “stems”! The Oxford English minidictionary defines the stem as the supporting part of the plant. The “stems” in our lives are there to support us and they are mostly our close family relations specifically parents, siblings and even some intimate friends not forgetting spouses or partners. These people are usually there when you need a shoulder to lean on; they are there in times of sorrow and pain and they are also there in times of happiness. They share their joy when you and are also there to help you achieve your dreams. Some may disappoint you but the majority will always be by your side in hard times. They always make you feel you are not alone and that makes you feel better. Never despise or shun the “stems” away because they will be there when no one is. I just love how these people accept our mistakes and make us know that we can’t be perfect as human beings but rather help us to bring out the best in us. Don’t trade them for anything!

The last group of people are the roots. Yes, the ROOTS!!! I love the stems but I’m in love with the roots.lol! A root of a tree is the part that grows into the earth. The “roots” in our lives are always at the “backdoor” working for our good. They are not seen but they are the people we always run to for advice, solutions, etc. They never let us down; they fulfil their promises to us and always make us happy. The root is usually one person and that one person to me is GOD. I’m in love with that man up there!! I don’t see Him but I always feel His presence, He hears me when I call and the best of all; He fulfils His promises to me. The Lord is the root of my life because He holds me upright and makes sure that I don’t fall.

I hope I have enlightened you on the groups of people in our lives but think about this: which group of people do you belong to in the lives of others? Are you a leaf, a branch or a stem? Always remember that what you give out is what you usually gain. Be a stem in someone’s life and you will be surprised how fulfilled and blessed you’ll be.

                                                            

                                                    A good friend loves at all times....