Clothes Laid Out and Waiting

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen 

Go down the short hallway, past the bathroom, through the open door of the bedroom. Look behind the door. You see several things such as mostly unused crutches from my knee surgery, a clothes drying rack, two 3-drawer plastic storage units, and more.

On top of a storage unit are a pair of pants, a shirt, and shoes. Unpretentious clothes. Charlene had efficiently laid them out so she could use them when she returned from her surgery. She is not coming back for them. Ever. This is being posted four weeks from the day she passed away.

My beloved wife's clothes are waiting in vain for her return

Most everyone has heard it said that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. In her case, she did not finish "today," the day of her surgery, when she was stricken. In the midst of my bitter tears, I know that she was a child of the living God. When the angel came to escort her to Jesus, Charlene must have been thrilled to be free of a life that had so much physical and emotional pain. Now she is with the risen Savior, the Creator of the universe (John 1:3, Col. 1:12) and others who preceded her. I am looking forward to that time when I will be a part of that grand reunion. But it hurts so much right now.

People who know my work are familiar with my words about meeting again. I hope they and others keep reading. You see, I know she was assured of her salvation, just as I am confident of mine. Yes, I hurt and question God as to why he took her when he did, and we won't know the answer this side of eternity. But questions (and even anger at God) do not make me unsaved.

The most important question for anyone, ever, is: Are you sure you will get to Heaven when you die? Religion won't save you, good works don't — nothing but the grace of God. We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23) and we get paid wages for our sin work, which is death (Rom. 6:23). If we repent and put our trust in Jesus, we become children of God (John 1:12, Col. 1:16) and are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). Although we still sin (unintentionally, not as a lifestyle), we confess that and restore our fellowship with God (1 John 1:9).

There are people who have gone to church all their lives but are still lost. They think or hope maybe they're saved, but are uncertain or even deceiving themselves. At this link, toward the bottom of that page, are two boxes that also contain links. The messages are "Hell's Best Kept Secret" and also "True and False Conversion." Each is about an hour to hear, but they are well worth it. Note that if you don't see the audio and download options, use your browser in Private or Incognito mode, which disables the security features that get rambunctious and block the material.

Choose this day, Heaven or Hell (and Hell is our default position, Rom. 5:8!) Charlene thought she had time to live. We both expected another twenty years together. She's in a good place and I'll join her. Hope to see you there as well (John 3:16).