5 Ways Heaven will be like a High School Reunion

Recently, I attended my 25th high school reunion. To be blunt, I had a blast.  I would imagine, it wasn't unlike the typical high school reunion for small towns. Everybody knows everybody. Not to sound cliché, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. If you tried hard enough , I guess you could find something wrong with it. The food was good but it wasn't fantastic. It wasn't a spectacular venue. I'm told we didn't have the budget for the Taj Mahal. It was less than perfect. Not the sort of atmosphere where you would expect to catch a glimpse of heaven. But, like so many spiritual lessons, God's truth parallels much of our everyday lives. Here's some ways heaven will be like our high school reunion.

There's a lot of planning involved: These things don't just happen. Every celebration event involves a great deal of planning. It is where the guest list starts. The celebration in heaven won't be an exception. The banquet in heaven was planned from the foundation of the world.

A sacrifice must take place to accomplish the setting: At most high school reunions,  people get to attend an event that most put no effort into creating. Don't overlook this. Someone sacrificed their time and energy for your benefit. Even though, you didn't ask them. Likewise, Jesus has sacrificed everything so we can come to Him.

Everybody was invited, but only a few come: Only 20% of our original class showed up. I bet that's about normal. The 80- 20 rule works in about everything. I hope Jesus does better with his party. The word is it will be "few". For just a moment at the reunion, I was kinda sad. I wanted to see some people I hadn't seen in awhile. That  didn't prevent us from having a great time. To be clear, there will be no sadness in heaven. So, I probably won't know if you don't make it, but indulge me the similes. At the reunion, people I thought wouldn't make it came while others I was sure would be there, were not.  I bet heaven will be the same.

Excuses will be made for missing it : Life has to take precedence over a reunion. There were some legitimate reasons for not making them. I get that. Still, let's be honest, some people just don't want to be there. Pick any excuse you want. If you'd like, you can double down with them for not attending church as well.  Does this sound like them? " There will be hypocrites and fake people there." "I don't make enough money". "I don't have the time." "I need my rest". My personal favorite is" I haven't forgiven so and so for what they did to me." That one could keep you away from a reunion and out heaven. We don't force people we love to spend time with us. Neither will Jesus. He will let you miss heaven if you want to.

If you want to attend, you need to RSVP: You can't just show up to a reunion. Preparations need to be made to accommodate you. Simply put, you'll have to respond to the invitation. Heaven's RSVP is done in the form of rebirth. It comes  through repentance and confession of a faith in Jesus Christ. There's no other way to attend the grand celebration. You coming? 

Journeys & Storms or Heaven in a Hamburger Joint

Life is more like the weather than a box of chocolates. You never know when it`s going to change. The sun can be shinning, but suddenly, like a crippling blizzard setting in, piling up layer after layer, until nothing can move, storms can come. That`s just what being treated for cancer can be like. You just don`t really know which way the wind`s going to blow. Or who it will blow in. When my best friends, Bob and Mary Cody, surprised me with a visit midway my treatment, I was overwhelmed. Then Juno hit, the blizzard of 2015. Twenty-four inches of snow in twenty-four hours crippled the city. We were separated by only two miles but were we as far apart as we were at a 1000. They hadn`t prepared for the freak storm. They weren`t, shall we say, dressed for the occasion. Other than the Freedom Trail, that I have now dubbed the freeze`um trail, the whole ordeal kept us from seeing any of Boston`s attractions. Still, I try to learn the lessons God teaches in all circumstances.

Storms are unavoidable. Be prepared for the worse while praying for the best. Jesus teaches this in Matthew 7. Build on a solid foundation then you will stay prepared. If my parents got anything perfect raising me it was this. We`ve never been accused of traveling light but you can`t properly minister to others if you`re ill prepared. Ezekiel 38:7 says "Be ready and keep ready, you and all your host assembled about you, and be a guard for them". Storms don`t have to stop us. That`s the whole point of being prepared.

 It was in the middle of Juno, during the night, that five cancer patients  (myself included) and one care giver, ages ranging from 26 to 72, set out on a trek

 over two and half miles through the blizzard. The busy streets of Boston were reduced to a white desert and we were its wayfaring travelers. Only the occasional snowplow or police vehicle were on the roads. From within their warm cabs came strange glances of perplexion toward us. Ignoring them, we traveled on, for we were on a mission. Like Paul, we pressed on toward the prize with no concerns for the things behind us. Arriving at our destination, we entered into the warmth, discarding heavy coats. Funny how a brush of death can make you feel alive. Laughter and fellowship filled the air as we feasted on the best burger I have ever tasted. Though I was caught in the moment, I couldn`t help but think of a day when we will forever caste off these clothes and rest from this journey through storms, we call life. What a feast that will be.

 The place was small and crowded, I felt fortunate to have found it partially vacant. As crowded as it was, I wished Bob was taking up one more seat. With my chin propped in my hand, I smiled. Blissful aromas flowing from the grill sent me daydreaming of how wonderful heaven must smell. Waking up to, "Come on, Clint", I bundled myself together to resume a journey I know is only halfway complete. I turn my face back into the wind and ice with this in mind:  Now that I am full, I`ve been called to go. One little storm isn`t going to stop me.