In my next life

Have you ever heard people say, “In my next life, I will be…” or “In my previous life, I must have been…?”

You may have seen this bit of humor making its way around the internet: In my next life, I want to be a bear...

When you’re a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you’re supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too.

 When you’re a girl bear, you birth your children while you’re sleeping (who are the size of walnuts) and wake to partially grown, cute cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that in a big way.

If you’re a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

If you’re a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat. Yup, gonna be a bear!

I admit it sounds tempting--especially the part about being able to eat and sleep (and growl!)

But for those who are believers in the life beyond this one, there’s something even BETTER that lies ahead. But what could possibly be better than that?

How about a life where there’s no more pain and no more heartache; a family reunion where you’re surrounded by people who all have a heart for God; a place where you don’t have to live in fear and suspicion? How about a place where all your needs are met and an eternity in the arms of your heavenly Father?

Many years ago, I attended the full packed breakfast meeting featuring the daughter of Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz speak on this particular subject matter and it got me thinking…

This part of Scriptures becomes very important for my family and me as we are experiencing a loss of a loved one during the Christmas season but hope is offered through these words: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Rev. 21:3-5a)

I don’t know about you, but in my next life, I don’t want to be a bear… I want to be with He who has created me!

By the way, talking about bears, here is another good story. A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When he was about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft soothing voice, “Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let’s negotiate the matter.” Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, “I want a fur coat.”

“Good,” said the bear, “that is a negotiable item. I only want a full stomach, so let us sit down and negotiate a compromise.” They sat down to negotiate and after a time the bear walked away, alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach, and the hunter had his fur coat!

So what is the morale of the story? Negotiate with a bear? Not exactly.

The lesson is that our values are being challenged every moment of the day. Either we are for Him or we are against Him and there is no middle ground. While our political leaders are busy negotiating and compromising while they are still on this planet, the day will come when everyone will realize that in God’s economy there is no room for negotiations. Love God and love your neighbors and invest on the life hereafter. Something to think about as we enter the New Year.

A Blessed New Year to you and your family.

(Mark your calendar, as Francis Kong runs his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership seminar-workshop on Jan. 16-17, 2018 at SEDA HOTEL, BGC. For registration and inquiries contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.levelupleadership.ph)