A Letter to Grandpa
Death is something we all must face eventually. We all have lost someone very close to us before, and someone close to us will pass away again. Scholars say that 1 out of 1 people die; Therefore, we all must face death ourselves!
I have heard people say time and again that their loved one is still with them in spirit, or that they are in heaven looking down on us right now. Pastors even teach this as Biblical fact calling it the “Grandstands of Heaven”. While it is a lovely sentiment to imagine a loved one watching over us, I just don’t think it happens. I have never been able to find this teaching in the Bible. In fact, Heaven is a place I know very little about (so I kind of talking out of my league here…)! Heaven is described as a place of perfection where worship of God the Father and Christ the Son never ceases.
Using some simple logic, what would the atmosphere of Heaven be like if everyone there sat around and watched the people of earth? They would see innocent men, women, and children dying from starvation because of their location. They would see people being killed in cold blood for various reasons. They would see family members addicted to drugs, alcohol, pornography, or ___________. They would see a husband destroy his family because he is selfishly unfaithful. They would see the world we see now, only they could not do anything about it. That sounds more like torture, and that is reserved for hell.
Tonight I had the privilege to attend a church service with three different churches. My dad preached a great sermon, and asked me to sing. It was a great service! I sang a song written by a friend of mine, Jimbo Whaley, called “A Letter To Grandpa”. The song is about a grandchild writing to grandpa, asking him to tell them about Heaven. It is a great song and I love to sing it.
I would love to be able to sit down and talk to my grandparents just one more time. I cherish the memories from my childhood when we would spend the endless summer days at Granny and Pap’s house with all the cousins, or the Saturday nights at Grandma Dottie’s house. I miss the time when life seemed more simple to me. One more time making Grandma laugh so hard she has to turn up the oxygen; one more trip to the garden and then a trip to big rock or the baptizing hole to cool off; one more ride in that old brown Chevy (in the back, of course, because it was safer back then 
). But I can’t go back, and there is no way I want them to come back here!
I am thankful my grandparents where Godly people. I am thankful they showed me the wisdom and example that helped me become the person I am. I am thankful for their faith which assures me they are in heaven with Christ. Someday soon we will get to be together again…that is something to be thankful for, friends!
