They're in a Better Place Now.....Or ARE They?

As a born again Christian, I know where I will be spending eternity. I KNOW there is only ONE way and that's through Jesus Christ! I KNOW all paths do NOT lead to heaven or salvation. Jesus Christ is the only way. I KNOW Jesus Christ was born to a Virgin, died on the cross and shed His blood to cleanse our sins, arose three days later and is ALIVE, sitting at the right hand of the Father God! I KNOW God sent His only begotten Son to us in the flesh. I wrote a short post on Salvation that is easy to understand and comprehend. Simply Scriptures to lead the way. You can find that post here.

I Love Jesus Christ!

So as a born again, Christian and Christ believer, I know that I WILL be in a better place when I pass over. It is not my place, however, to determine the hearts of others nor to determine where they will spend eternity. However, there are some tell-tale signs that we may know them by their fruits and by their reactions to who we are in Christ. And even then there are those who have had the seed planted, someone is place in their path before they do pass away, and they make a genuine decision, sometimes, even on their deathbeds. Lately though, maybe in the past 2 or so years, I've been deeply disturbed by the typical responses people seem to have to someone passing away. I'm sure they mean well and have good intentions but it doesn't make it any easier nor does it make it right. It makes my spirit stir.  They say the typical things..."Oh they're in a better place." Or "They aren't suffering anymore." I find it more and more difficult to hear those two sentences because as the days are getting darker and the more lies from the enemy are being believed, with the onslaught of the New Age movement where "everyone goes to Heaven" when they die, with the onslaught of mixed "religions" coming together disguising themselves as Christian and tolerant, I felt a need to discuss this topic a little more in depth. Heaven is a home for believers in Jesus Christ, hell is a home for all others.

I was recently confronted with this very circumstance and those two statements above. The amazing thing about who I am in Christ is the choices He gives me in situations like these. I can either go with the flow and be like everyone else, or I can be wise with the words that I DO choose to say and turning it into an opportunity to speak the Truth and to share what is real. In the following example that I am about to share with you, I chose the latter. The Holy Spirit wouldn't allow me to be like "everyone else" in this particular situation. I'm not sure why, but, the conviction to speak wisely and precisely had come over me in waves I hadn't felt before in other similar situations. It's a difficult situation to be in and definitely not a popular one. But it was one that I had to choose wisely to handle in the way that I was being led to and I didn't want to fail even if it was a possibility that I COULD. If you're a Christian then you know how important it is NOT to say NO to the Holy Spirit and to the Lord Jesus Christ. We also know how it feels when we don't do what we are being led to do, or say, and even at times, suffer the consequences of our rebellion. In the situation that I'm going to speak to you about here shortly, I'm going to give you a little background on the person, how they came to be hired in my department, my experiences with this person, and the end of her life situation. I feel a need to share a little of the story before putting the rest of the pieces together for all of my dear readers. Sometimes, a back story is important before the rest of the story. So here's a little history.

In the department of where I work, there was talk about hiring a new person to oversee our 5 regions. The lady they ended up hiring had actually worked in my building but in a different department altogether. My corporate office is in another city, 2 hours away, but she was going to be "housed" in our building in our area. Our office is a satellite office of the corporate office so we are pretty much our own entity but we operate the same. When it began to get closer to the hiring process and decision, I had a sense that it was not going to be a good thing and I never could shake that feeling. I shared those feelings with my 2 co-workers at the time, and soon the third co-worker. I just felt all kinds of bad feelings about this and I didn't even know who they had picked yet, nor did I know anything of who in the building even applied. The day came when they announced who it was and upon the offer of the job, it didn't take long until some of the people came to me and began to warn me. This was the beginning of realizing the feelings I had previously were now being revealed to me. So many people didn't like this person, they told me all kinds of stories about what kind of a person she was and worse still, they told me how she lost most of her employees three different times by either firing them, writing them up all the time to where they quit on their own or how a few transferred so they wouldn't have to work for her. Painted a very dark, gloomy and grim picture of her. I tried very hard not to let those stories influence me or how I would interact with her. Afterall, we are a small department and we'd have to work closely together. Our main office is much bigger with many more employees. I prefer where I'm at because it fits me better.

Anyway, the day finally came when she came on board. I'm a pretty good judge of character and immediately I was taken aback by her brashness, coolness and her hardness. For someone just starting a new position and a new endeavor, it wasn't the way I personally would come on the scene, so that cemented it for me. She came in as though she was going to wipe all of us out and start fresh. Something, I would find out later, was exactly what she liked to do and was going to do, so she can control those around her. I knew her kind. I knew there were dangerous repercussions of going up against her kind and I also knew she wouldn't be a good fit for this particular department. To be successful in the field that I work in, (although it's not my profession, it's just the field I work in) you must be a people person with compassion and a desire to help. She was jaded. She was isolated. She was very much a loner. She was, in many ways, scared. I need to give a timeline here because this is also important. She was hired in November of 2015. She went on medical leave in February of 2016 and passed away April 2016. So she was only really physically around for a little over 3 months. And in those 3-3 1/2 months, much was learned and much was confronted. More so, much was being prayed about because I needed prayer coverage while in her "sights" that she'd set for me, and my co-workers. Many prayers were said for God to help me through this time because, prior to her illness, it was absolutely unbearable and in my own way, almost a game changer for me. I knew I wouldn't be able to work with her, or FOR her, for very long. Some things I just know. I know I felt a sadness for her deep in my spirit for things that she was missing out on in life because of the way she chose to live her life. There was also a kind of desperation that I sensed in her as well. She was not happy, nor did she have any real connections. No joy could be found. I saw, and experienced, her dark side though. I knew her and I would eventually have our "moments" and as I predicted, we did. Most were very unpleasant, but there were a few that weren't. God gave me foresight in this situation and I knew where she was aiming her arrows before she aimed them. I'm a very direct person, a soft-hearted person, gentle in the delivery when I need to be, but overall, it's just how I'm wired by God. I believe in the rightness of things and I stand for those things. I also am an advocate for others who can't be their own and I will stand up for those who can't, for whatever reason, stand up for themselves. Not everything I WANT to say, will I say. Not everything I NEED to say will I say immediately either. If I'm in a corner, instead of unleashing by REACTION, I step back, walk away, then I will calm down before I broach the subject or issue. This way, I know I'll be saying what needs to be said, dealing with the problem from a clear headed perspective instead of emotions. I've learned that lesson the hard way.

I got to know enough about her to know that the way she treated others was a direct reflection of how she protected herself, but more importantly, how she felt about HERSELF. She showed me a little bit of her soft side which was extremely hard for her to do. She was uncomfortable with that side but she allowed me just a glimpse of it. GOD allowed me to see a glimpse of her softer side. She really didn't have a choice in the matter actually. She even said she "didn't know why" she shared something with me or one time, she stated she didn't like that side of herself. Curious thing to say. We barely interacted because most of the time she was in her office way on the other side of the building. Or she was travelling for her position. I knew in the short times that we did interact, she wanted to get rid of the two workers and likely me too. Although that wasn't as known as the other two were. Shortly after she was hired, one of our co-workers turned in his resignation leaving an opening. She jumped on this opportunity and brought over someone she was very close with from the department she worked at before. For many reasons that I won't go into here because, although it would help paint the picture clearer, it doesn't really matter. She had a motive for everything she did. Everything. She also controlled everything she did, everyone she knew, every move that was made. But she couldn't control me. God was in control of me and the situation and I KNEW that, but for her, she was frustrated that all of her efforts fell flat. God had me there for a reason and a purpose. To shed a little light on what she thought of herself...she was in the office with one of the workers she was wanting to fire (or just make miserable), and she actually called herself sinister. Sinister is NOT a word that is used by someone who loves themselves, much less Christ.

Which brings me to our first confrontation without being fully confrontational. The newest worker was hired around the same time and had put up a picture of the Lord's Last Supper. Not because she was a Christian, but because it was in her office from a client's house that was moving. She just put it up as "decoration" for the time being until she could decorate with her own things. I personally have two pictures I made and hung up on my wall, one right over my head saying I Believe with a cross and John 3:16, "16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." The other one has my favorite verse on it, Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." She made a reference about the new worker not having anything "religious" hanging in her office, that it was against policy. She wasn't fond of the new worker and this was just her first line of defense in trying to control the office. She was adamant about her removing it or taking it down, using the guise of it was not hers to put up in the first place. She is telling me this while in my office and the two pictures are staring her right in the face. She was oblivious to what she was saying and to who she was saying it to! I smiled. I glanced to my picture. I glanced back at her, and with the same smile, I said, "As long as it isn't offensive materials, we are allowed to hang whatever we want including what symbolizes our Faith, inside of our offices, as long as it isn't displayed on the doors to the public. If you were to tell her that, then you would need to tell the entire state to make it consistent and I, for one, would stand against it! I believe and I have that right to believe." She never did tell her to take it down. Nor did she ever say anything else to ME or in front of me, about Faith or "religion." Now I said some things to her.....giving little testimonies of my healing and how God had worked in my life. But her? Nothing. I felt the hand of God moving during her whole short tenure with us...protecting me from what she wanted to do.

Now we know, as soon as you begin to give testimonies and use the name of Jesus Christ, there will be some kind of push back, trials and tribulations. I began to experience just that. I had to pull on my Faith and Trust more than ever before. By mid December, close to our Christmas holiday break, she lashed out at me for the third and last time. She'd only been on the job 6 weeks, maybe, and only around our team intermittently for maybe 2 weeks out of those 6 and already lashed out at me three times. Bad start. The last time, it happened in the hallway, which our department shares, actually leases, with Family Support so there were doors opened and employees abound. She lashed out telling me I was not going to tell our Assistant Director (which was her boss) anything. I felt all this frustration and anger and disgust rising up, but instead of blowing my lid and looking as bad as she did, I turned around on my heels and politely said, "When the Assistant Director asks me to find this out, I most certainly will report back to her as I'm told. We'll discuss this situation later." That was the last time I was going to be put in that situation. I'm so easy to get along with and work with but there is no call for acting that way and NO reason to treat people that way either. At that moment, I knew God allowed me to see HER fear.....it was of her boss. I stayed away from her, barely speaking if she did come by. Within a week, two days before Christmas, she emailed me a "What Happened" email, with all kinds of nonsense wanting to bait me and discuss what was going on with "us." I emailed her back and told her by the end of the day, I'd come to her office and we'd discuss what she did, and said, that started this whole snowball. We had the discussion. I saw and heard what I needed to and what the Lord wanted me to know. The conversation was an eye opener and was important to what was about to come around but not important enough to discuss in this forum. The one thing I will say is that she pointed out that I was a very strong personality that "commanded" the room. She said I was valuable to her and she really didn't want to lose footing with a "relationship" with me. She made mention that she didn't know what came over her but she'd like to see us "work through this" and move on. Bait is one thing I rarely take without tasting it first. Hers? I wasn't willing to take, nor taste. The Lord was speaking the whole time throughout the meeting and I was not about to go against His voice and promptings. By the time it was over, I made her smile and chuckle. I believe in the power of laughter and in smiling. I didn't want to leave her office without giving her something to smile about because, really, she didn't do it often enough.

There were only a few more times I saw her and actually spoke to her after that day in December because she spent most of her days in different areas and in our corporate office. However, the last day I had an encounter with her was two weeks before she went on leave, in February, she came in my office and I looked up at her and saw that "look" she had about her. She looked awful! I mean truly, unbelievably awful. She had a color to her that reminded me of the color my mom had who had her body consumed by cancer. Cancer patients have a look to them, a certain pallor that is unmistakable! I asked if she was alright because she didn't look well. We talked for a few moments and I told her she needed to make a doctor's appointment. I didn't know she would eventually be diagnosed with terminal cancer. She didn't either. I sensed something I didn't want to sense. I made some jokes to make her smile, she made a comment about my "Faith" rock that I had on my desk. I told her about my previous pastor's New Year's sermons and how he would pass around the basket of rocks. I had a chance to tell her a little more about Faith. Not much more, but a little more is better than nothing. That would be the last time I'd actually see her or speak to her. I'm glad we were able to have that last talk because it was much better than our December talk or the few short encounters between. That night, I came home and phoned my mentor who lives in another state whom we've reconnected last year) and is an amazing godly woman, and I told her that she wasn't going to be around much longer. She had the "look." I told her I pray she receives Jesus and believes on Him before she dies and I asked the Lord to send someone to help her receive the free gift of Salvation. I also added that if nobody would be sent because of how uncomfortably private and secluded and isolated she was, that He have the Holy Spirit speak to her. All I cared about at that moment was where she would spend eternity. Period. I knew she wasn't going to be here much longer. I didn't care if I didn't like her or if we were friends. I didn't care if all of her ways have been "sinister" or manipulative. I didn't care if she was rude, downright nasty or hateful. I didn't care if she was spiteful. I cared only about where she would spend eternity. In February she went on medical leave.....

He Died for ALL

Then she passed away in April. No family by her side because she pushed everyone away. No friends because she didn't want any or pushed them away. She held those few people she regarded as closer than an acquaintance but not quite a friend, at bay. No funeral. No wake. No viewing. Nothing. It was all by her choosing. By her request. Her male companion was with her but that's all. I couldn't pretend to have liked her because first of all, I didn't know her enough but what I did know of her, I didn't like very well. I felt extremely sad for her because of how closed off she made herself to others. I felt sad that she was so alone. The male companion I sensed only filled a void and space because I felt she was afraid to be alone. There was alot of sadness about her and I felt for her. I felt sad for her passing away and for how much pain she suffered with while her body grew weaker. I would not wish her suffering on anyone. But she passed away and everyone made comments to me. Finally, it happened. "Oh that's so terrible about "her" but at least she's in a much better place." But was she? Was she REALLY in a better place? Nobody but God knows! I wish I knew. I had to catch my breath because for whatever reason, that went right through me like nothing I've felt before in this situation. All I could muster up was a simple, "Yes it's awful." They repeated the "better place" statement as though waiting for a confirmation from me that she was in a better place. But I couldn't say she was. I didn't even sense that she was. I could only hope she felt the prayers and heard the voice. I couldn't be so bold to encourage that thought considering some of the things I knew and moreover, the things that I didn't know. So, I took a deep breath and said, "Well, I hope she is in a better place. I hope she knew Jesus as her Savior." Silence. Pure silence. The person then stated "Ok, well at least she isn't suffering anymore." Well there again, if she isn't resting in peace in the arms of the Lord then she is in hell burning for eternity and THAT would only mean her suffering is WORSE. So again, I said, "Again, I hope not. If she is with the Lord, then she isn't suffering. However, if she's not, then her suffering is worse and I wouldn't want that for anyone."  This wasn't a family member. This wasn't a dear friend. But I just couldn't stop the Holy Spirit from stirring my spirit about this and I did what I felt I needed to do.

Romans 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." THIS is TRUTH! Truth is bold. Truth hurts. Truth sets one free. Shortly after that conversation took place, I had an email stream back and forth with someone stating the same thing. I said pretty much the same thing then the person said it was obvious I didn't like her. I had to chuckle inside because I was simply stating the truth and because I was stating a Truth, they took it upon themselves to equate that with my dislike for her. I said, unapologetically, but clearly, "Actually, I didn't know her well enough but what I did know of her, I actually didn't like much. Just because she passed away, won't change whether I liked her or not. Sure, I'm sorry she passed away. It's sad when anyone passes away. It still doesn't change the fact that not everyone goes on to be with the Lord unless they know Him as their personal Savior. I don't know if she accepted His free gift of Salvation or not, but I prayed for her that she would!" It soon got harder to talk about because well, Satan wanted to set some traps for me. This became the topic of conversation and it seemed like those statements were being rushed at me from specific people. The last conversation about those statements and with those statements went a little further. It was hinted at that everyone "must" go to heaven, how could they not? Well, my question back to this person was "So who is hell reserved for then? Why does it exist if everyone goes to heaven when they die?" The answers aren't important at this moment because my next statement will tell you all you need to know about their answers. I finally said, "If you don't believe hell exists then you can't believe Satan exists either. If you believe everyone goes to heaven, then you call Jesus a liar. If you believe everyone goes to heaven when they die then why did Jesus die on the cross, shed His blood for our sins to pay them in full? What would be the point of His sacrifice and His suffering?" 

Then, my very last conversation about this was with someone who knew her but really didn't like her at all. They said it was sad that she passed away. They then added they wouldn't want to wish this kind of a death on anyone, with that much suffering, so at least she wasn't suffering any longer. I felt that same welling up in my spirit and took a deep breath and quietly said, "Not everyone who leaves this life in suffering will find relief, but only more suffering, more gnashing of teeth, more torment. So I prayed that she surrendered to Jesus before she left this life. I wouldn't want any soul, no matter how much I didn't like someone, to suffer eternity in hell! Suffering here, in this body, in this life, will be nothing compared to an eternity of suffering and torment in hell. I pray she found peace."  Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." That's what my prayers are for everyone even though I know not everyone will choose Jesus over this god of this world. Romans 10:9-13, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11) For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13) For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." I received many strange looks, many pauses, silence and a few grunts. But I said what I said because it was truth and I was obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit inside of me! I was surprised by a professing Christian and the pause we shared because of a comment I made. In this life, most of our battles with other people aren't with the person themselves. It's with our adversary. It's not against the flesh and blood of a living being. Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." It's easy to think it's the person that we don't like or that we're battling. But we must see beyond the exterior, going deeper to know what is causing the trouble.

We don't have to like everyone we meet. We aren't designed to like everyone. But we must love everyone enough to want them to see the face of Jesus Christ, to accept His free gift of Salvation and to walk with Him! We must love beyond all else. Love is what emanates through the Light of Christ. The darkness that is permeating this world right now is well on its way to overcoming those who aren't believers, who are searching, who are lost. Time is so short. Every day could be our last day and tomorrow isn't promised. There's no time like NOW to receive Salvation, to believe in Jesus Christ. Each day, the darkness and evil continues to gain ground. Its got to be that way because it's prophesied in the Bible. It will continue to gain ground and more fluffy religious garb will penetrate those people who won't find Jesus because they are being led astray. This time, this age, this day, we must stand firm in the Truth and be bold. Too many things are wrong with this life....with this world. Darkness cannot survive when Light is shining! Christians ARE the Light! Wherever we are, wherever we exist, wherever we walk, the darkness fades a little more. We must love people enough, no matter who they are, no matter where they come from, no matter what they've done, to point them towards the Cross. We don't have to be responsible for their choices, only Jesus can convert the lost! We must be able to point them to the Cross though, to shine our Light into their darkness, to be an example that stands out from the rest of the wickedness in the world. I don't like to think about where someone's resting for eternity when they pass away, but I'm finding it impossible more and more NOT to! I don't know if it's because I'm watching so many be led astray, or if it's because so many have turned their backs on Jesus and closed the doors tightly. What I do know is we will cross paths with many like the person I told you about. We will have maybe a short time to shine a light into a dark space. We never know why things happen or when they will happen but we need to take advantage of those moments.

Because we are sinful by nature, we are then separated from God. Those who are separated from God in this life will also be eternally separated from Him after their death. Our sin deserves punishment and even though we deserve eternal punishment, God has graciously provided a way out. His free gift of forgiveness and salvation is available to anyone who seeks, asks and will find. Those who choose to accept this gift are saved from the eternal punishment of hell and will become royalty residing eternally in Heaven, inheriting the Kingdom! I know from this day moving forward and with the experiences I just had with the passing of someone I barely knew, I'm not going to throw around the statements like everyone else does, did and will continue to do. I can't afford to because it's not for us to determine but at the same time, we'd be lying just to "comfort" someone if we do say those statements. I would like to believe someone who leaves this life is in a better place and isn't suffering any longer, but are they really? Not everyone will be in a better place and I know this! It's a choice that they will make and a choice that sometimes, nobody will know. Some people we know for sure are residing with the Lord because we know of their love for Jesus, their fruits they bear and their true salvation, while others not so much. But all of the unseen faces, those we don't know, those we pass on the street, or those we briefly encounter as I did with "her".....they are "chances" that are passing by that have been given to us, presented to us, for us. Chances to share the Light, share the Gospel, share Jesus Christ. Whatever moment is presented to us, we must be willing to share what we have. It might only be a testimony, a shared experience, a gentle touch of the hand, or by the way we live our lives. I know with one person that I briefly talked to her about, they had a look of deeper "understanding" and it was like some lightbulb went on for them. I didn't push it because I sense the opportunity will arise again. Seeds were planted.

When someone really knows Christ, they will be out of pain, no more suffering and in the presence of their Savior. Although we will grieve those who pass from this life, there is a joy and peace that passes all understanding when we know they are in heaven. This is the AMAZING part of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. The bodies of those that are believers will stay buried until Jesus comes, but their spirits immediately enter the presence of God. "To be absent FROM THE BODY, is to be present WITH THE LORD,." The darker side to that, the most painful side, is the direct opposite, yet still as real as the spirit residing in Heaven with the Lord. It's the gnashing of teeth, the torment of the spirit, the fire and brimstone of eternal hell. NOBODY should desire that kind of eternity but because of their rebellion and rejection of Jesus, that's exactly what fate they'll face. Remember, we all have a choice. It's a very grim outlook to say the least. So please, stand firm, be bold and profess your Faith and the Truth to those you are in the midst of. Let your Light shine and let them know who you belong to, who you serve and how AMAZING our Father IS! There is only TWO choices in this life that ultimately matter.....ACCEPTING Jesus Christ or REJECTING Jesus Christ. Heaven or Hell? I've already made my decision. What about YOU?

Will YOU be in a better place when you pass from this life?



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