Most people would agree that we seem to be on a journey in this life.  The old gospel song, Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad, gives the image of our trip “from the cradle to the grave.”  Being conscious of the concept of time, we see the world around us changing, ourselves and our families aging, and have encountered numerous births and funerals over our lifetime.  We who are seniors look back and wonder where the time went, wishing, at times, for some do-overs.

In various religious circles a perfecting process is recognized.  Through our encounter with God we see where we have failed and where we need to improve.  Some often can see a clear progression in themselves and others.  But we also can see those who seem to be moving backwards; their bodies are aging, but their minds are deteriorating, as evidenced by their behavior.  What should be obvious, however, is that a great many exit this life as “unfinished business.”

I believe that we were all created by God, and that there is no one accurate, true religion.  I also believe that we would be foolish to throw out all religious teaching.  Some may be more on the mark than others, but God speaks through a lot of folks.  And the one common thread is the pattern of his love.  The fact that he isn’t more clear with his communication is certainly a mystery, but he has set in the hearts of men a questioning spirit, a desire for love and (albeit sometimes buried deeply) a need to be good.

It appears to me that God puts a tremendous amount of effort into managing our lives through events and people that we come into contact with.  All of us can recount both blessings and (perceived) curses in our lives.  Good and bad things happen, with or without our influence.  God’s love is around us in ways that we don’t often see.  And his discipline is not withheld from us because of that same love.

The time of our death is set by our heavenly Father in order to achieve his purposes.  Sometimes it seems that we just didn’t get it before we had to “move on.”  But God, being perfect, will continue the perfecting process in another realm.  It makes sense that he would do so because he is holy, and we would be holy if we are to be his pure sons and daughters.  Perhaps these earthly vessels that we have to move about in bring us to a point that further existence here would only hinder our progress.

So what happens after death?  Nobody knows.  But I suspect that, with the physical obstacles removed, we would be free to deal with our spiritual struggles.  Certainly, reconciliation would be a task put before us.  How can we relate to God if there is spiritual baggage or unfinished business with relationships keeping us from him?  Depending on our spiritual condition at death, we may be well ahead on the narrow path that leads to life, or we may need a portion of outer darkness to help us seek the light and focus on the truth set before us.

Our imaginations (another gift from God) are free to speculate on what might lie before us.  But we can hope in the goodness of God to do that which is right in his eyes.  We needn’t dread the unknown, especially if we have taken advantage of the opportunity given us in this life to perfect our journey.  God is love and peace.  The journey may seem long and bumpy, but, oh what a ride!

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