Guess Who Will Be In Heaven?

When our son was a lad of 2, he became a victim of polio. He was sentenced to braces, corsets, arm crutches and a wheel chair. But when the polio struck, our son launched counterattack of his own. He began a counterattack of his own… he began to sing, and he’s been singing ever since. His singing wasn’t so bad, until he began to make up his own songs.
The tunes that fit the words just seem to come naturally. But his constant singing became a minor problem until one day, when our son was five, while lying on the couch in the den, he started with this song:
“When I get to heaven, you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to run up the stairs, then run down the stairs!”
I was in the kitchen listening when he paused and then called out, “Hey Dad. Are there any crippled boys in heaven?” “Nope,” was my casual reassurance.
“Boy, I wish I could hurry up and go there.”
A few years later while in an East Texas meeting I related this incident to an evening audience. While there, Joy Hagstrom was inspired to write the following words:
“One day I saw a disabled boy watching children play ball.
I had to blink the tears away in answer to his call.
“Hey mister. If you’ve got the time, would you sit down and talk?
“I’d like to run and play with them, but, you know I just can’t walk.
I’d like to chase that ball a mile, and climb that hollow tree,
“Or swim down in the swimming hole or take a hikje you see.
“Well one day I’ll do those things without a thought or care.
“When I get to heaven, there won’t be any disabled kids there.
“I’ll go swimming and climb that hollow tree,.
“And hike along the golden streets throughout eternity.
“But now I’ll watch the children as they run and jump and play,
“And know that I’ll be like them when I get home some day.”
In one way or another, we are all disabled. The only difference is that some of us are forced to wear our braces on the outside.
Yet Jesus loves us despite the deformities of the flesh and spirit. That’s what salvation is all about. There is a better place for which we sins, a deeper peace for which we long.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain; for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4) (KJV)
Gee, what a thought. It must be Heaven!

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