Ten Things to Do

Ten Things To Do

I always have a to-do list, and I'll bet you do, too. Sometimes my prayer list is like giving God a "to-do" list.

"Okay, now God, I know You are busy, but could you check in on Uncle Fred? He's having such a hard time there in the nursing home. And then, there's..."

Well, I'm sure you have your list, too.

I am a person who doesn't like chaos or disorganized ways of doing things. You'd think this would make me a very organized, sort of like a guru in organization. Uh. No. Not even close. Now, in some areas I can be focused and organized. As a teacher I always had my lesson plans sketched out for the month and neatly written into my lesson plan book, laid out on my desk in case I had to have a last minute sub. My principal thought I was a genius of lesson plans. I was. That was then, this is now. I have purchased all the famous organization books--and they're in some pile somewhere around here. They say the people who need the organization books the most are the ones who buy them, but then, probably don't use them, just intend to--someday. I should do something. I do have to-do lists of things to accomplish in many areas of my life.

In the magazine Today's Christian there is an article called, "Ten Things You Should Do Before Going to Heaven." First of all, I'll let you know--I sometimes get turned off when someone says to me, should. That always sounds a bit preachy to me. But I was curious as to what someone thought we should be doing, and I read that article.It's written by these guys, David Bordon & Tom Winters, who wrote the book, 101 Things You Should Do Before Going to Heaven
(Bordon-Winters LLC, 2006 224 pp., $9.99, Hardcover.)

I was hoping I had a good start on that 10 things list when I went to the URL--but, whoa, a 101 and a whole book of to-do! Ack Attack. I'm getting closer to heaven with every breath I take, so this certainly had me concerned. (Do the right thing, do the right thing.) But the book, and the article, say these are practical things to do, and I found myself agreeing with them as good things that could be accomplished. I was even happy to see that there were some things I've done or am doing.

Yeah, did that one. Check. Oh, yeah, did that check, check.

One of the things I could check off happened right here with this blog. I reconnected with a childhood friend. Lorrie, or "Lottie," or "Stoff," was the gal who gave me the "inside" tip on getting the right socks for 6th grade at Liberty Elementary from my blog early on here. She was one of my best friends in high school and before our senior year, her mother remarried and moved to a new school district. I was devastated and she missed us all, too, but I know she adjusted pretty well because I kept in touch our senior year.

I learned to drive to the farm she moved to, and spent many weekends there, kept in touch through college, and we even were in each other's weddings. Then, like life often does, I heard less and less from her, and she heard less and less from me. She is a beautiful, Christian woman with a large family. But then, she read this blog and emailed me. That was worth writing this blog for! It was a thrill for me to reconnect with someone I was so close to at one very important point in my life.

I hope I can go see her or meet up with her soon. A bunch of us girls (cough, cough) from high school are planning a get-together in September, and Stoff will be invited. All of us are Christian women and started off together doing youth group-church related things together, even though some of us went to different churches or had different traditions. There is no reason we can't still have that heart and soul connection, even if our lives are different now, too, as far as schedules, homeschoolers or not, various denominations. We do have one thing in common--Jesus.

So, while that article in Today's Christian got me to thinking about what kinds of things I want to try to do before I'm whisked off to heaven, I know there is one good thing I've done before that final breath--I've accepted Jesus Christ as my Master and Savior. I believe that He is the Christ, the one way to God and spending the everlasting time with Him is sealed. All the other things these Ten Things/101 Things authors listed are probably "good" things to do and we do want to make our lives better and do the things God tells us to do in the Bible that pleases Him. But sometimes shoulda, woulda, couldas doesn't always happen, and you can carry a lot of guilt. Well, we shouldn't have to carry that guilt. That is what that grace thing was all about, afterall.

Actually getting a chance at freedom and heaven is possible by doing the first thing on my list that I did--find out how to get there and accept it. That would be by way of Jesus. So, go ahead and read the "Ten Things" article, and maybe buy the 101 Things book. Maybe you need it. Maybe I do, too (I'm sure there is someone out there who probably thinks the book was written for me, specifically, and will leave it discreetly on my doorstep.) But you won't hear me self-righteously telling you should do this or that. But I sure would love it if you were there in heaven, too, and that only takes doing one thing--accepting Jesus as your Savior.

That's the only sermon you'll hear from me. (Well, for today...)