VICTOR ADEYEMI
The last two years have been quite a journey for me as I watched my dad lose muscle mass rapidly due to old age. I couldn’t but notice the rapid decline in-between the few months that separated each visit. Not one of those who like surprises or being caught unawares, I began to brace myself mentally and emotionally for one of the fears of my adult life. No matter how hard I tried however, my subtle wish was always that the Lord would preserve Daddy in good health till his final breadth and always wanted one anniversary after another. When on July 18 I got the news he was on oxygen and breathing better after some struggle earlier in the day, I knew he was actually exiting this world to a more glorious one and was thankful it was not in the midst of a struggle. He eventually did the same in the presence of the love of his life of about 60 years, our mother. Family, friends and the doctors have wondered what a special species of a wife she was. Her love must have kept him alive for a little longer than he probably should, we all concluded. As we were all trying to come to terms with our new reality, our Christian faith has been sustaining us in amazing ways.
As a Pastor of about 34 years, I have been on the phone, in homes, in my office, hospitals and many gravesides and pulpits, consoling, comforting and encouraging the bereaved until finally it has become my turn to do the same for myself and receive the same from others. It is finally time for my convictions about death to be truly tested.
Do I truly believe in the afterlife? Am I confident in the assurance of salvation? Am I a believer who is certain of eternal life through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross or one of those who believes no one is assured of salvation until he faces judgement before God? What truly is the worth of the blood of Jesus to me? Is it enough to purchase eternal redemption for me or my works will determine my eternal abode? Do I believe we are truly sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and that He is the earnest (deposit) of our inheritance? It has been such an amazing comfort to realize those amazing thoughts, nay, truths that I have spent hundreds of hours pondering upon for decades have found such deep roots in me that my joy has drowned my sorrows in the belly of revelation knowledge. I do not doubt that some difficult moments lie ahead like what the interment would feel like and Daddy’s absence at the advent of certain joys, nor am I dreaming of pleasantness in the times our mother will express her grief but I am certain they will only be moments interjecting the peace, joy and blessedness of hearts assured of God’s faithfulness to His Word. His Word declares that whoever believes in Him (Jesus), will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). These momentary grief and grieving will only interject my conviction that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6).
Girded by the above illuminations, I told my wife Daddy would have reunited with and seen your parents. My parents-in-law had gone to heaven earlier and I can only imagine the joy of their reunion. I told my Mum how that Daddy had reunited with Reuben, her beloved father-in-law, and with her mum, and with his own mum, and with their first son who they lost to the cruel hands of death the day he was born in 1966. My mum had told me of him severally that he was a good looking boy who bled to death due to a mishandling of the severance of his umbilical cord at birth. He cried and cried till he passed away, a sorrow only relieved when God blessed them with my brother Sam. I imagined the smile on the face of Uncle Moji and the warm embrace between he and Daddy. My mum believes daddy became more introverted and probably mildly depressed at the loss of his younger brother about 20 months ago. Our dad loved his family so dearly and Uncle Moji who was so much younger. My Uncle Moji and Uncle Segun however held their unique places even as others did for other reasons. Daddy is busy reuniting with friends who fought a good fight, finished their course and kept the faith. He probably has a few surprises to deal with too like how some religious folks did not make it there because they had an outward form of godliness but denied the power of it (2 Timothy 3:5). It’s the reason many profess Christ with absolutely no character transformation. Many make payment of lip service to our faith without a real conviction in the power of eternal life and the transformative effect of the indwelling spirit. He must be surprised to see some others who by reason of unawareness of the fact that they met Christ on their sick beds and are enjoying the riches of God’s grace in glory like the thief who made it into paradise the same day he and Jesus Christ were crucified (Luke 23:43).
I have read scores of afterlife experiences in books and articles and have also watched scores of video footage on heavenly encounters. I have always been fascinated by the world of the supernatural and I am one of those believers who spends a lot of my time reflecting on eternity. I believe to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). I believe to be with Christ is far better than to remain in this world (Philippians 1:23). I believe in the glories and splendour of heaven. I believe human beings are spirit beings who in death slip out of their bodies as we slip out of our clothes daily and I believe our spirit bodies ascend to heaven if we have eternal life or descend into Hades if we have no faith in God. Like we are taught in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, I believe the angels of God took our Dad into paradise when he closed his eyes to this world. I believe he is being rewarded for what he did on earth. With heavenly perspectives after we get into glory, we will rejoice at some things we did, regret others, wish we did some others, and wish we did some others better than we did on earth. I believe when we leave our bodies, we go into the presence of Jesus Christ as believers and begin an eternal journey of knowing God and serving Him on celestial plains free from sin, sickness and sorrow. I believe our Daddy passed into heaven free from his earthy limitations into endless joy and bliss. It is this assurance of salvation that belongs to every true believer.
We miss our Dad already. He was a good father and doted on his children. He was present in our lives in spite of his many business and political travels. He stayed in touch and called us regularly. When our friends and neighbours ran into their bedrooms at the sound of their daddys’ arrivals, we ran out to meet ours. He and mummy were at our church conventions and particularly would not miss the always exhilarating Daystar Christmas carols till he lacked the strength to make it anymore. He was kind and generous to a fault. We learnt those from him but also learnt to regulate it to avoid the pains of overdoing it (laughter). He loved people and served his community. He was not perfect just as no one is except for our Heavenly Father. Most importantly however, he met the Lord Jesus Christ and served him in building committees, prison outreaches and as an Elder in Winners Chapel. We miss him already and will miss him more in the days and years to come but our sorrow is drowned by the overwhelming joy of our eternal salvation.