The Final Journey

The Final Journey

Fiction

By Gary Piper

Prelude: We are on a journey a rough and tumble gotta keep moving ahead journey.

Some see life as a journey from birth to death, from life to eternity.

Some see life as a journey through hell.

Some see life as a time to climb a social ladder and gain riches.

Some see life as a burden to be endured, as a series of pleasantries.

In whatever way you see life of this you can be certain, the journey began with Jesus Christ and it will one day end with God.

Many see death as the final journey yet death isn’t a journey – death is only a brief pause on the final journey. In case you are wondering what the final journey is the gospel of John explains it this way. “Thomas said, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus replied, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have known me, you will know my Father too. And from now on you do know him and have seen him.’” (John 14:5 – 14:7 NET Bible)

Life is our allotted time to prepare ourselves to meet God without Jesus that cannot happen. The story you are about to read is a fictional account of two people making preparations to meet God. One, gave their life to Jesus yet had not begun the final journey. The other still searching for the final journey.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Joe Cannon stared up at the ceiling of his small hospital room oblivious to the people standing around him. I’m only 59 years old why am I going to die his thoughts questioned his own consciousness?

Turning and looking directly at Paula, Joes wife, “ I’m sorry Paula it won’t be long now and soon Joe can get some rest,” Doctor Sam said in a quiet voice. “His vital signs are beginning to get weaker and weaker. Is there anything I can do?”

Paula, Joes wife also stood oblivious to everything going on around her stood silently staring into the past 39 years of her life.

“Paula, are you okay?” Henry Wright asked.

Startled by the sound of hearing her name Paula jerked slightly. “I’m sorry, Paula,” Henry said, “I didn’t mean to startle you. Is there anything Doctor Sam or I can do for you?”

Without looking up, “No thanks, Henry, both of you have done so much already. If it’s okay with you I’d like to spend the last few minutes with Joe alone.”

“That’s fine with us, Mrs. Cannon,” Joe’s doctor replied, “if you need anyone just push the call button and someone will be here.”

“I’ll go down to the waiting room, Paula and make some calls. Would you like me to make some contacts for you?” Henry, Pastor of the Church of Communities for Christ asked.

“Thank you doctor, I’ll be alright for now,” she replied, looking at the Joe’s doctor.

Turning to Henry, “No one I can think of now Pastor but after Joe’s gone I’d like you to call the family, or what’s left of it anyway.”

“Okay, anything you need, Paula be sure to ask and remember Joe had a close relationship with Jesus so there’s no doubt where he’ll be after awhile,” Henry replied, heading for the doorway.

Several seconds later Paula picked up Joe’s right hand, “Why, Joe? Why are you leaving me alone? I don’t want you to die; life is just beginning for us now that there’s just the two of us. We had so many plans, so many places we wanted to go, and so many things we wanted to do.”

Falling silent she paused, “I don’t want you to go. Please, God, can’t you touch my Joe and heal him? I need him more than you do. You’ve got him for all eternity I’ve only got him a few years.”

All of a sudden it seemed as if the light in the room became brighter and Paula heard a faint whisper. Straining to hear the voice she turned and said, “did someone say something?”

A second time she heard what she thought was someone whispering. Turning and looking at her dying husband and with high expectation she asked, “Joe! Did you say something?”

There was no response only silence. But somehow the room felt different like there was more warmth or some indescribable sense of peace. Then for the third time the whisper called again, “Paula, Joe will live again.”

Thinking it was Pastor Henry she replied, “Pastor, I know because Joe accepted Jesus he will live again in heaven. I know that but I need him now.”

“Paula,” the voice replied, no longer whispering, “I am the resurrection and the life not your Pastor Henry, not anyone else. Whosoever believes in me even if the physical signs of life are gone will live. Do you believe this, Paula?”

Realizing it was not her Pastor’s voice and unsure of who’s voice it really was Paula quickly spun around the room to see if anyone had entered. The shades were pulled. The door was closed. The room was empty other than Joe and Paula Cannon. Before she could say anything her eyes were drawn to the life support monitor suddenly the numbers began falling. First Joe’s heartbeat began slowing. A drop in his blood pressure followed. A drop in his rate of respiration came next.

“Paula,” the voice said a second time, “I am the resurrection and the life not your Pastor Henry, not anyone else. Whosoever believes in me even if the physical signs of life are gone will live. Do you believe this, Paula?”

Unlike her husband Paula had never really asked Jesus to come into her heart. It’s not like she didn’t want to but to her just being a church member in good standing was sufficient so in spite of the encouragements from Joe she remained only a church member.

Standing looking at Joe’s vital signs dropping his voice echoed in her memory, “Paula, please ask Jesus into your heart maybe not today but someday you’ll need him and the only place he’ll be is close by and that’s not good enough. Jesus belongs in your heart not by your side.”

As Joe’s voice faded it was replaced by, “Paula, I am the resurrection and the life not your church, your workplace, or anything else. Whosoever believes in me even if the physical signs of life are gone will live. Do you believe this, Paula?”

Without thinking Paula quickly replied, “What difference does it make?”

“In me even if he were dead Joe would still live. It is the Spirit that gives life the body only passes away. The words I speak are life not death. Do you believe me, Paula?”

“Who are you?” Paula replied.

“I am the one who holds life in one hand and death in the other. Do you believe in me Paula?”

“How can I believe in someone I cannot see?” She replied.

“To see one doesn’t need faith. Those who come to me and receive of me are those to must first believe that I am. Do you believe in me Paula?”

“This is not really happening,” Paula lashed out in frustration.

In response an eerie silence settled in the room. Paula’s emotions were running wild. First she was angry. Anger turned to frustration. Frustration turned to curiosity. Curiosity became confusion. Confusion turned into hopelessness. Hopelessness gave way to depression.

Unsure of what to say or what to do Paula turned around slowly made her way to a soft chair next to Joe and dropped down into it. Seconds later an unseen nail scarred hand tried to touch her heart only to pass through it. Instantly tears from the Savior rolled off his cheek dropping unnoticed on her head.

“Joe!” Paula screamed. “Wake up and tell me what’s going on?”

Moments later from the pages of the past Joe’s voice echoed, “Paula, please ask Jesus into your heart maybe not today but someday you’ll need him and the only place he’ll be is close by and that’s not good enough. Jesus belongs in your heart not by your side.”

Meanwhile with his eyes closed and vital signs falling Joe looked into what appeared like a dark storm cloud and called out, Jesus, “I’m only 59 years old I thought I was ready to die but I’m not I want to live.”

A voice from inside the cloud answered, “Joe, Jesus has abandoned you. Did he not say those who believe in him cannot die?”

“Jesus, is that you?” He asked.

The sounds to answer him back were the sounds of the monitors in his hospital room.

“Jesus, is that you?” He asked a second time.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. The pauses between the beeps came farther apart. Joe felt himself getting colder and colder as the dark storm cloud moved closer.

“Jesus, are you here?”

Seconds later, “did I not tell you he had abandoned you?”

A glimmer of hope touched Joes dying heart, “Is this some kind of faith test, Jesus?”

“Why do you continue to put your faith in someone who has abandoned you in your time of need?”

“Are you Jesus?”

“If I were Jesus do you think you’d be dying right now?”

Suddenly everything stopped there were no sounds no dark storm cloud only Joe a strange voice and nothingness. At first Joe thought he had died but he could feel the presence of someone else close by.

“What’s happening to me?” He called out.

“Your Jesus is letting you die,” came the quick reply.

Joe had rehearsed over and over what he would do when the time came for the cancer to take his life but now he had second thoughts. “Jesus will never desert you not even in death,” he recalled Pastor Henry saying over and over.

“Whosoever believes in me even if he were dead he would still be alive,” Joe recalled reading in his bible. “I believe what you said Jesus but I not only spiritual life but physical life as well. It can’t be to late, can it?”

“If you will believe in me you will live,” the voice said.

“Are you Jesus?” Joe asked again.

“Who I am doesn’t matter I am the one who is offering you life. Isn’t that all that matters?”

Joe remembered his father always told him, “Joe, remember a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

“Your father was right you know I am offering you a life where you can have all the things you’ve ever wanted. You wanted money? With me you’ll have all you can ever spend. You wanted power? I’ll give you an entire planet to rule. Anything and everything you can ever imagine.”

A second time Joe heard his father’s voice, “Joe, there’s one other thing you need remember about that bird in your hand. If it looks to good to be true it is let it go and reach for the two in the bush.”

Resolving himself that it was now to late, “I had everything I wanted,” Joe replied, “but if it be the Lord’s will that I die then so be it at least my soul will still be alive.”

Without waiting for a response, “Jesus, I know you are in my heart even if it is dying and I know as long as you are in my heart the beating of your heart will keep me alive. I am sorry for not asking you what your will was for my life and now I don’t know what our Father has in store for me but I am not afraid.”

“I am the resurrection and the life and in me even if he were dead Joe would still live. The words I speak are life not death. Do you believe me, Paula?”

“If you are Jesus as you say you are then bring my Joe back to life and then I’ll believe,” Paula responded.

Paula waited for the voice to answer but the only sound in the room was the sounds of the monitors.

Beep.

Beep…

Beep……

Beep………

Beep…………

Beep……………

Suddenly the beep fell silent and as it did time stopped. Quickly turning to observe the monitor Joe’s heart line was a flat straight line.

“Joe!” Paula screamed.

Running to the door, “Somebody help! Please!” She screamed again at the top of her lungs. But no one was there. Running as fast as she could she went from room to room looking for someone but she was alone.

Leaving the last room at the end of the hall she noticed Joes room was dark. Again she broke out in a run, “Joe! Joe! Joe! Are you all right, Joe?”

Approaching the door she slowed her pace to catch her breath then expecting to see Joe sitting up she entered the room. “Joe are you………” she stopped in mid sentence his bed was empty in fact it was made up like he’d never been there.

Before she could react Paula heard footsteps behind her turning quickly around she came face to face with a hospital orderly. “Where’s my Joe!” she snapped.

The orderly said nothing.

“Didn’t you hear me? Where have you taken Joe Cannon the man who was lying in that bed?” She asked sharply, pointing at the empty bed.

“Joe is where he needs to be. Do you know where you are?” the orderly asked.

“It doesn’t matter where I am Joe’s the only one that matters to me. Now please tell me where you took him.”

“Do you know where you are?” the orderly asked a second time.

“Didn’t you hear me? I don’t give a rip where I am! I want you to tell me where Joe is and if you can’t I want you to go get someone who can. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

“No, it’s you who don’t understand you are on a journey one that could possibly have an ending. Joe is where he needs to be. Now listen close – are you where you need to be?”

Without saying a word Paula walked back to the chair she’d left a short while ago put her elbows on her knees and dropped her head into her hands and closed her eyes and began crying.

All of a sudden she recognized the orderly’s voice as the same one she’d heard moments ago. Then as two plus two became four she slid out of the chair onto her knees and without looking up, “I don’t know where I am but I know who you are. Jesus, please forgive me for my unbelief. If you must take a soul please take mine it’s yours but please, Lord let Joe live.”

The room fell silent. Paula with eyes closed tight waited for the orderly she now knew to be Jesus to say something.

She waited.

And she waited.

And she waited some more.

“Paula, are you okay? You’ve been kneeling for almost 15 minutes,” it was Joe’s voice.

Paula opened her eyes and leaped on the side of the bed into Joes open arms. Neither spoke a word seconds later they embraced each other and an orderly named Jesus watched from the corner of the room smiled then disappeared.

Several minutes later Paula was the first to speak, “I met Jesus a few moments ago. He appeared to me as an hospital orderly and I gave him my heart.”

Joe chuckled, “You met Jesus and I met his old enemy and he didn’t get my heart.”

Over the next several hours Paula and Joe Cannon shared their stories about their final journey. Finally, “you know what’s ironic about our journey?” Joe asked.

“What?”

“Our journey’s ended with our testimony about our relationship with Jesus yet each of us struggled with unbelief,” Joe replied.

“Unbelief? But you gave your heart to Jesus long ago,” Paula replied.

“I did,” Joe answered, “but I never really believed in him. It’s like I accepted him yet put limits on what I wanted him to do. When it was convenient for me to be Christian I was.”

“But after you turned your life over to him you were a different person,” Paula replied.

“On the outside I was. When I was first told I had cancer my first inclination was if I was going to die I would hold my head up high not complain and give Jesus the credit for giving me the strength to die peacefully.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Paula asked.

“That was my will not his. For me death became my final journey and I never gave him a chance to show me his will for my life. Death isn’t a journey at all it’s simply a door way but without Jesus it’s an end. But now I see that Jesus is the final journey – an eternal journey.”

Then it struck Paula that she had the same experience. She needed to come face to face that Jesus is, was, and always will be the final journey.

The couple embraced once more just as Pastor Henry entered the room. It took nearly two hours to tell him their individual stories.

THE BEGINNING!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Now that you’ve read Paula and Joe’s story what’s yours? Have you made room for Jesus in your heart yet not made room for him in your life? Or is your heart so full of life there’s no room for Jesus?

Please what ever you do it is imperative that you not put off addressing my questions because without making the final journey yours may come to an end.

“Thomas said, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus replied, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have known me, you will know my Father too. And from now on you do know him and have seen him.’” (John 14:5 – 14:7 NET Bible)



Copyright 2006, Gary Piper