"Before Good-Bye"

I just keep getting older,

And the older that I get,

The closer to home-going,

But it’s not time just yet.

And as the good-byes increase,

And others that I know,

Come to the end of their lives,

And then to heaven go,

I wonder what it will be like,

To leave this world behind,

When you walk into heaven,

The love that you will find.

The beauty and the music,

The joy that fills the place,

The glory and the grandeur,

The smile on Jesus’ face.

And I think of everyone,

I love who still will be,

Left behind when I pass on,

Who’ll one day think of me.

Maybe they will chuckle,

‘Bout something that I said,

Maybe even shed a tear,

Because I’m finally dead.

And when I think about all this,

I pray that I can make,

The most of all the time that’s left,

And each day try to take,

The time to call somebody,

And listen when they talk,

Pray I’ll give inspiration,

By the way I choose to walk.

Daily seek the Kingdom,

Give help to those in need,

Never tire from doing good,

And plant a godly seed.

One day it will be over,

And we will say good-bye,

But until then, by God’s good grace,

We’ll live until we die.

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven…” (Colossians 3:1, NLT)

When we belong to Jesus we realize that this life is all about the life to come. Paul counsels us to have a heavenly perspective. If we take the eternal view, we will be able to evaluate life accurately. We will be able to see what matters and what doesn’t. Our interaction with others, as well as how we invest our time and resources will all be impacted in a positive way. All of us are probably familiar with the saying, “He’s so heavenly minded, he’s no earthly good.” But, truth is, most of us need to be more heavenly minded so we can do more good on earth.

Lord, help us set our sights on the realities of heaven, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Mary Peters, used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.