Oh, What a Day It Will Be

It's interesting. I grew up spending a fair amount of time around my grandparents in Tennessee. My maternal grandfather loved his grandchildren. I remember him taking me, or my sister, or one of my cousins - and later his great grand children (including my firstborn), and saying how much he loved us - as much as his own children, he'd say. He was very loving and also a rascal - he loved to tease my grandmother by scaring or startling her. Then he'd laugh and laugh and retell the story over and over. He got a lot of mileage from those incidents.

Here is Grandpa when my mother was about 10, ~1945

This is around the same time
when he was a security guard
at the Oak Ridge Research Center.

This is how he loved to sit and relax after
retirement - whittling cedar sticks.

 (I posted these pictures of him because I had them. And because they bring a smile to my face.)

He loved the Bible and he loved the Lord. And he was very interested in warning his loved ones about the "end of the world" and about judgement. It was bothersome to some of the family but, for some reason, I absorbed it all like a sponge. I believe that is one of the reasons I had a deep down longing for the Lord from a young age.

However, I don't recall him really ever explaining how we, how I, could know the Lord and know that I was going to heaven to be with Him. The result of that was I grew up with an unhealthy fear of the world ending, of my world ending, and of doom & judgement. Maybe sometime I'll post about my testimony of coming to Jesus. But during all the years after I asked Jesus to live in me, and I was learning more of Him, I continued to fear "the end of the world." I think it was just so ingrained in me that I didn't really recognize it as being unnecessary, even unhealthy.

But as I grew to love Jesus more and more one day I realized that I was no longer afraid. It happened like this, I was driving in the car by myself and there before my eyes, the cloudy, stormy sky had streaks of light shining through the clouds in such a way that I thought, "Is this Jesus coming." And instead of fear, I was so excited to think I might finally see my Lord, face-to-face. And I whispered, "Jesus." And then I was excited to realize I did not fear the coming of the Lord but looked forward to it.

Obviously, that didn't happen that day but it will someday - and I won't be afraid. And you don't have to be, either.

Sometimes, as I've gotten older, I find myself longing to be with Him. I used to think people were slightly "touched" when they expressed that. And I don't have a death wish. I choose life and I think God wants us to live in that mindset, to appreciate the fact that He has blessed us with life and the opportunity to live that life in His presence. But, "what a day it will be when my Jesus I will see!" He has redeemed me, protected me, guided me, taught me, embraced me - through the Spirit. But then, it will be a physical reality. Oh my! There are no words, just tears of love and anticipation. And gratefulness.

♫ What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon his face,
The One who saved me by his grace;
When he takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no more pain, no more parting over there,
But forever I will be with the one who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.♪ ♪

Lyrics by W & M: James Hill (1955) © Ben Speer
and can be found at the Blackwood Brothers website.

And it still happens from time-to-time. I see some unique, bright sunshine through clouds and wonder, "Is this the moment I will get to see Jesus? Let it be so."

Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John 1:29

Image used by permission from
Mad-City Fine Arts.