Heaven: The Greatest Home Makeover--Day 6

FOUNDATION
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” –1 Corinthians 3:11
We hoped our older, small home would sell quickly. But the bank’s loan requirements for the buyers included passing a “pest inspection.” That took care of “quickly.” As the inspector inched out of the crawl space, he said with a scowl, “You have carpenter ants and other damage. You need to replace a lot of things in the foundation.” Although the house seemed sturdy, hungry bugs had weakened its underpinnings. The solution was messy and expensive. A builder dragged heavy jacks under the house to support it as he pried out bad timbers and replaced them with new ones.

Even in Bible times, people knew the importance of solid foundations. Jesus used that building principle to talk about what really mattered in life. He said building a home on a rock to withstand rain and wind was like those who built lives based on His teachings. When life’s difficulties came, they wouldn’t topple. Those who built on sand--meaning value systems based on shifting human opinions—would end up “with a great crash” (Matt. 7:27).

That passage had particular significance for Ralph. On a foundation of faith in Christ, Ralph built a life of service: city council member, missionary pilot, volunteer computer technician for his church, and all-around fix-it guy. Then one summer day, he and two others, en route by small plane to Alaska, disappeared over the ocean. Despite extensive searches, nothing was found and the three presumed dead. “Apparently, Ralph’s plane has gone down,” his pastor said at Ralph’s memorial service, “but make no mistake, Ralph has landed safely.”

Heaven.

As friends spoke at the service of his solid faith, many said, “He was such a rock.” Yet many others worry about what others will say after they die. I once worked for a newspaper where I was in charge of obituary notices. Usually, funeral homes brought in prepared notices. Sometimes, relatives came to report the death of someone with ties to the area. I thought this was the case the day a frail woman was directed to the chair by my desk. “When did this person pass away?” I began after getting a name. “Well, I haven’t died yet,” she said. “I just wanted you to get this right before I die.” Gently, I tried to explain that it would be better for her to supply this information to her choice of funeral home. As she left, I wondered about what was most important in her life. Did she want to be remembered for her memberships or many descendants? Was she concerned about relatives saying doubtful things about her after her death?

I’d seen some of those “editorialized” obituaries. Because the newspaper published only facts, families had to buy an ad for an “un-edited” version of an obituary. In one such paid notice, the family jested, “She was laid to rest alongside her husband, a patient man who got used to waiting for her early on.” I also read obituaries that conveyed strange ideas about Heaven. A hunting-fishing fanatic “went to his happy hunting grounds” to join his hunting buddy and dog. Another notice said their loved one was now happily pulling the slots in Heaven’s casino. (I asked myself how a destructive addiction could exist in Heaven.) Myra’s family-written obituary revealed a different hope. She lived to her 100th birthday, enjoying a big party in the nursing home where she lived. Afterwards, her obituary said, she took a nap and fell into a deep sleep. The next day, she opened her eyes wide and declared, ‘I believe in God!’” Then she slipped into a coma and died.

Another obituary recounted at length how Preston was a self-taught mechanical genius. More important, it said that two weeks before his death, “Preston received Christ as his Lord and Savior and was baptized along with his son. God had been patient, waiting all these years for the Spirit to move in Preston’s heart, time and again returning him from death’s door.”

We won’t have any veto power over what’s said at our funerals or emphasized in our obituaries. But our choices about a spiritual foundation will impact how people remember us. Even if years of bad choices have left you with a flimsy or riddled foundation, that can change. God can give you a new start: the foundation of faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s expensive beyond imagination—Jesus’ death on the cross. But God has already footed the bill for you. It will last forever, and it’s a sincere, life-changing prayer away.

If you’re not certain about your foundation, you are invited to make this prayer yours:
Lord, I’ve built my life on sand, on things that don’t count. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I claim Your promise to come into my life. I thank You for the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. Amen.