it was probably a prayer or a final benediction before leaving. It was something like, "May God bless those of you who are left, much more than the one who is going to leave." Once again, just like her husband who cared much more for others than the welfare of self, she prayed a blessing upon her girls before entering into the presence of her Savior!
Because of this, my mom and her sister's faith were strengthened. The spiritual heritage of the ASSURANCE and the REALITY of heaven had been given to them. Then it was given to me through my mom. And now I get to hand it down to Zack and Ellie. As I shared this story with them, the kids were enthralled..."Do you think she saw Jesus? Do you think she saw his face? What kind of music? Did she see the actual place? Did she?" It is SO COOL to have these conversations with my own children who also have no doubt that heaven awaits them when they die. Ellie often will say to me in her most expectant voice, "I can't WAIT to see Jesus!!"
When my mom is asked where she is from, she hesitates. They were in so many places when she was young. So she often will say, "My citizenship is in Heaven. That's my furusato, my home." I love that. Even though my passport says I'm Japanese, I've lived in the States for over 30 years, and now I'm back in Japan. What am I? What's my nationality? Where do I consider "home"? I must say that my favorite answer is the same. My citizenship is indeed in heaven. Look me up when you get there.
Jeff's column offers a mix of reflections on leadership and fatherhood, as well as news from Asian Access.
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