Smiles That Shine

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil 3:20 NKJV). 

We walked into the room, and immediately her eyes lit up, and with a beautiful smile on her face, our visit with one of God's precious saints commenced. Even though with limited mobility and her frail body showing signs of having sojourned this side of heaven almost a century, Mrs. Doris Johnson wasn't interested in talking about herself. Instead, she wanted to hear about our well-being and family and if we had settled in our new home. Still "sharp as a tack" and listening intently to our every word, we visited a long while, and the entire time, the sparkle in her eyes kept drawing my attention. The twinkle was there partly because of a long overdue visit, but more than that. She knows God has numbered her days just as He has numbered yours and mine—age is not a factor. Having surrendered her heart to Jesus, Mrs. Doris, at peace, knows God registered her name in the Lamb's Book of Life; she will spend eternity with her Lord. I think some of her eyes' sparkle is a longing for her forever home that awaits her arrival. But until then, the little "energizer bunny," as I often lovingly call her, continues to inspire and illustrate genuine Christlikeness. Her family, Brian Cespiva and Cindy Cespiva, and a host of friends like Dawn Foster and Larien Newcomb's love and care surround her.

God appoints the day of our birth and our death—we decide how to fill those days during that time. Mrs. Doris chose to spend her time serving God faithfully and blessing fellow believers and others. This world is not our home; we are just passing through. When your journey here ends, you can have the same assurance of heaven's citizenship as this child of God, but only if your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life.