Imagine the following scenario. Five people are in an office seated around a well polished mahogany conference table. Other than having a very close relationship with each other and the deceased, they had no idea why they had been invited. All eyes were focused on the well dressed distinguished looking elderly gentlemen when he entered the room and sat down at the head of the table. After introducing himself and giving them a warm welcome, the man took a white legal size envelope from an inside coat pocket, carefully slit it open with a small pocket knife, and removed a hand written letter. He placed it on the table and began reading.

“No doubt each of you is wondering about the veil of secrecy concerning the reason I asked Mr. Emery my lawyer, to invite you to his office on this first Christmas Eve following my death. I wrote this letter the day after the end of having experienced a series of remarkable occurrences of several months duration which I must describe as being very, very weird indeed. My desire was to have you each listen carefully as he reads this letter. You will soon realize I have no idea how long ago I wrote it. Considering the kind of private person, you who were closest to my heart and affections always knew me to have been; I’m sure you will soon understand how uncomfortable I would have been in sharing this closely guarded secret until now. I assure you I have given considerable prayerful thought to the matter, and remain convinced, all things considered, it was a wise decision. If I offended any of you, please forgive me. You know I would never intentionally do such a thing.

You are all very familiar with what I often described as being the saddest day of my life and its awful aftermath. At the time, I was the proud mother of my only child, a beautiful five year old little girl named Mina. He father and I weren’t getting along, and that’s putting it mildly. I’m ashamed to say we were often arguing and screaming and threatening one another, even in front of Mina. On those occasions the poor crying child ran upstairs and into her bedroom where she hid under the covers and pulled them and the pillow down over her head in a futile attempt to muffle the bitterness coming out of our mouths. I now know it was through the Providence of God that He arranged for a nice Christian family from the neighborhood and their daughter Elizabeth to provide some sense of normalcy and respite for the poor child. They took Mina under their wing. That family enjoyed themselves camping, hiking and fishing and of course scoping out new pizza places. Needless to say, Mina usually accompanied them. Elizabeth and Mina were inseparable and Mina also enjoyed doing crafts and attending Sunday school at their church. She was always made to feel welcome by Elizabeth’s parents, and they included her in as many family activities as possible. They even celebrated her birthday with her in their own home and made her feel as though she was one of the family. Mina wished she were, because as I said a moment ago, her father and I were constantly at each other. I am so ashamed to say that our screaming and arguing and threatening were ever-present companions of that precious little child.

I will never be able to give adequate thanks to God for blessing Mina through such a wonderful family. That unforgettable year leading up to what was to become the saddest day of my life was rapidly drawing to a close. A couple of weeks before Christmas the man and his wife were in the old Savoy Playhouse watching The Nutcracker with Elizabeth and Mina seated between them. As the curtain came down and the lights went on for the intermission, Mina’s father appeared. He explained there was something wonderful that had just happened, something which would make Mina very happy. He was sorry but she would have to leave with him immediately so she didn’t miss out. He promised to drop his daughter off at their home early the next day. Then, taking her hand, the two of them quickly walked down the aisle and out of the playhouse. They never saw Mina again. She and her father had disappeared. Six months later we learned that Mina’s dad had kidnapped her and taken my little girl to his native country, Iran. And there was nothing anyone could do.

As far as I was concerned, my life was over. I had nothing to live for. I plunged into such a depression you people convinced me to seek medical help. Then I tried to ease my sorrow by mixing all the medicine the doctor prescribed with alcohol. My behavior became so strange and unpredictable that I was arrested four times before a wise kindly judge ordered me admitted to a mental institution for evaluation. It took eight and a half long months before the treatment finally was successful, and I have not had a recurrence. Although I’m grateful, I would never want to return to that place. That’s the reason I have kept the secret locked up inside of me until now. I hope you won’t think too badly of me and will find it in your heart to forgive me.

It started one night around midnight when I was working in the nursing home. I was making my usual rounds and going into the darkened patient rooms to make certain everything was ok. As I was leaving the last one, I suddenly heard voices. Not wanting to disturb my sleeping patient, I took my flashlight and quietly looked around the room; but there was no one there. Even under the bed. I decided it must have been my imagination and was about to leave when I heard a voice I later learned was that of an angel. He was apparently speaking to the spirit part of my patient, a man in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease who was obviously experiencing much difficulty in understanding how a loving God could allow such things to occur to someone as nice as him.“May I suggest that you try to remember our God knows precisely what He is doing Charlie; therefore He must have a good reas…”Charlie cut him off in mid sentence. “A good reason for all this suffering and heartbreak? You got to be kidding pal. Here I am locked in a body that by now must look like death warmed over, lying helpless on a bed in a crummy nursing home, while Martha and the rest of them are being drained and you’re trying to tell me God has a good reason. Be real pal. This whole scenario makes about as much sense as the idiot who fell into the open grave on that Halloween night. Do you remember that one pal?” “Indeed I do Charlie.” “I can imagine how the man felt pal and all because he had the dumb luck of stumbling into the grave.” “I beg your pardon Charlie. There is no such thing as luck. Everything that occurs in the course of human history has been planned, ordained and predestined to happen by our God. And I might add, He conceived His plan before He created His world (Eph. 1:11).” “Are you trying to tell me that it was part of God’s eternal plan for that poor slob to trip over some stiff’s tombstone and stumble into the open grave, and that God knew all along the guy was gonna do that?” “Precisely Charlie.” “How can God know that kind of stuff pal?” “He’s our God Charlie. He knows everything. If He didn’t He wouldn’t be God.” “I don’t buy that one pal. Man’s got a free will in case you forgot. There’s no telling what anybody’s gonna do next. No sooner do you think you got someone all figured out than whamo; they’re off and running in the opposite direction.” “May I make a suggestion Charlie?” “Yeah, go for it pal. You’re going to make it anyway.” “For the purpose of our discussion, let’s stay focused on what we were talking about, which in this case is attempting to make sense out of the man falling into the grave, instead of exploring the area of God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will?” “I’ll cut you some slack this time pal, but don’t think I’m going to let you off the hook about man’s free will. I’ll come back to it” “Somehow I’m not surprised by your response Charlie. I’ll be waiting.” “Now get on with making sense out of that ridiculous Halloween night fiasco pal. And while you’re at it, tell me why Martha and the rest of them are being subjected to so much heartbreak. Make sense out of this one while you’re at it, pal.” “Lord willing I will do precisely that Charlie” “You can’t make any sense out of that one pal. And you wanna know why? I’ll tell you why; it don’t make any sense, that’s why.”

I listened carefully as the angel offered the Biblical explanation as to why Charlie had experienced so many difficult experiences during his life time, most of which he had brought upon himself, but it wasn’t to Charlie’s satisfaction. The angel continued: “Those certainly were painful times for you Charlie, but very necessary, I might add. Those were the times you should have been rejoicing.” “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. How many times do I have to tell you before you finally get it pal? You ain’t right! You ain’t right! You ain’t right! You got to be some kind of an air head nut case to expect me to rejoice in my suffering.” The conversation continued until the exasperated angel asked Charlie if he could request another favor. “Yeah pal, anything!” “May I indulge in some of what little children often refer to as being quiet time?” “Go for it pal. It’s all yours.” Although it lasted only a few minutes, to Charlie it seemed as though it was an eternity. “Hey pal; have you finally gotten enough of your quiet time stuff? I’m bored stiff waiting all this time with no one to talk to.” “Yes I have Charlie. What would you like to discuss?” “I’ve been thinking a lot while you doing your quiet time thing.” “That’s wonderful Charlie. What have you been thinking about?” “My Catlick friend Wally was right all along. There is a place called Limbo after all, and I’m trapped in it here with you. I’m in outer space somewhere going round and round in circles just outside of Heaven. And I never believed the guy. I told him he was an idiot.” “As I recall, you were very quick at judging and ridiculing people. You were also very argumentative and seemed to delight in putting them down.” “That’s because they deserved it, pal. Someone had to clue them in. I was always honest. Everybody knew what I thought of them. How else they goanna learn and change and get with God’s program?” “And in your hast to correct Wally, you quickly brushed aside and completely ignored the fact that he was one of the most patient, kind, humble persons in your rather limited circle of friends.” “That doesn’t make him perfect pal.” No it doesn’t Charlie, but you knew he certainly struggled greatly to please God.”

I listened while Charlie attempted to justify himself by shifting the blame on his father and grandfather who behaved just as he did. Charley insisted he was following in their footsteps. The angel acknowledged the reality of some parents being poor role models for their children. For instance, the angel said; “it’s sad whenever parents lay out a road map with directions leading their children straight into Hell. You were such a good learner Charlie that you even discovered several short-cuts on your own. But you alone were responsible for your own sinful behavior” It also became clear that he had perfected the art of diversion. For instance, the next words out of his mouth were: “Hey pal. I’ve been wondering. How’s Martha and the rest of them doing these days? They must be in agony when they look at what the disease is doing to my poor body.” “As a matter of fact, they aren’t Charlie. They’ve learned to accept it as one of the consequences of the fall. Their principal concern today is the ultimate eternal destination of this part of you Charlie; the spirit part.” “You mean if I’m gonna wind up in heaven or hell. How stupid can they be pal? Is this disease I got contagious? Don’t they remember me going down the aisle with the rest of the crowd giving my heart to Jesus? Boy that was one of the best decisions I ever made, pal. At the time I figured; hey what the heck, it can’t do no harm. What have I got to lose? But now I’m here with you, pal, waiting to get let into heaven, I know I got that one right pal.” “Please listen carefully to what I’m about to say Charlie and please don’t interrupt me. Martha and the others have serious doubts. Your observable behavior indicated the exact opposite. They tried desperately to inform you of their concerns but you never allowed them to. Often you became so emotional and boisterous that you wouldn’t even allow them to finish a sentence. Your behavior was so annoying that, in an effort to preserve their physical and emotional well being, they ceased trying. They’re still praying continuously for you though. They’re hoping for a miracle, because that’s what has to happen.” “It’s gonna take a miracle to get me into Heaven? I didn’t know they felt that way about me. Now it’s too late. They can’t tell me what was on their mind and I can’t tell them I’m doing great. Go figure!” “At this point, I can offer what I hope will prove to be an extremely helpful suggestion.” “Go for it pal. I’m all ears.” “Before I begin you must promise not to badger me and insist I reveal how I acquired the following comments contained in a letter written by a young woman to her father, an old Baptist preacher, concerning you and me and our present circumstance.” “You mean some people know all about what’s going on between you and me pal?” “Precisely! But remember, I’m not at liberty to inform you about anything else.” “You have my word. Please tell me what’s in the letter. I really want to know, pal.”

The letter began by saying: “Dear Dad, I find Charlie to be a difficult man to digest. He is, quite unfortunately, too similar to so many of the Christians I know. He whines, complains, somehow misses the joy in his existence rather than notice the blessings that are ‘in his face’. Charlie is a serious downer so much so that I wonder if the Angel assigned to keep him company just barely escaped the title of “fallen angel” but still has to be punished somehow for even thinking of straying, and that working with Charlie is his punishment. I seriously question the assumption Charlie seems to have that he is a Christian. There is no awe at being in the presence of an angel; there is a continued focus on self rather than a desire to spend his remaining time getting right with God. Instead of praying for his family, Charlie assumes that they’re suffering because of the great ‘injustice’ that has happened to him, to them. Rather than look at what has happened FOR him and his family, Charlie continues to be a miserable human being, a joyless lump of flesh that undoubtedly drools as he survives the final stages of dementia, yet likely more pleasant in this state than he was while his eyes were focused and his drool contained. Charlie’s world revolves around Charlie during his final days, when his only companion is a long-suffering angel, so I’m guessing that it was also all about him before, as well. I see Alzheimer’s, dementia, or a coma that will eventually lead to death as a final opportunity that God, in His great mercy, gives to the afflicted one and/or his or her family. It is a time for one-on-one communication with God for the person who can communicate with no one else, and it is an opportunity to draw closer in prayer and faith for the saved (or not) outsiders who are touched by the illness or injury. In short, this time is a blessing, a sign of God’s mercy, a show of good faith on His part that none should perish [and spend eternity] without Him. Charlie was a shell of a man long before he ended up in the nursing home and I hope that he decides to take advantage of this special opportunity to get closer to God. God must love Charlie very much to offer him this time and I only hope that if my time is near, and if there is still work that needs to be accomplished for God in my life or in the life of my family, that He will be merciful enough to give me a quiet, one-on-one time as He has Charlie. I love you dad.”

By now I thought to myself, O my, I must be losing my mind. I’ll be put back into a mental institution for sure. The thought of having to suffer the dreadful side effects until they finally discovered what medicine would work was frightening. That’s why I never mentioned a word of my experience to anyone including you folks who have been the closest and most supportive of me. I must say that after a while I kind of looked forward to being privy to those conversations between Charlie and the Angel. They always began around midnight and lasted about ten to fifteen minutes at the most. I learned an awful lot about myself, especially how short I was of being the kind of person God desires His adopted children to be. The bible teaches that those are the only ones who will be admitted into Heaven. In the ensuing months I began to realize my existence was not all about me and my desires and perceived needs, but about Him and the reason He created me. It was about the One in whom I live and move and have my very being, the One apart from whom I can’t even draw my next breath and who wants me to be holy just as He is holy. I’m not suggesting He expects me to be perfect but that He wants me to sincerely strive to exhibit more of a resemblance to His Son, Jesus Christ. I learned that first and foremost, He desires that I seek His kingdom and His righteousness. He promises that if I delight myself in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. Of all my many sins, the angel taught me there was two in particular which I needed to focus on getting rid of the most. I had to get rid of my sinful anger, bitterness and throwing fits of rage, such as I displayed towards Mina’s father, and which caused the poor child to seek refuge under the covers of her bed. Although I was correct in my assessment of the man, in God’s eyes there was no justification for the disgraceful manner in which I all too often dealt with my anger. Another thing the angel taught me and which I finally learned was that God wanted me to forgive others just as I have been forgiven in Christ Jesus. With His help, I could have done it before I went to sleep at night but I honestly didn’t want to forgive him for taking my child away from me. The angel persisted and taught me I should and, with God’s help I could, and so, I did. From that moment forward my first prayer each morning was asking God to please help me become more like Jesus in my every thought, word and deed throughout the new day, and to provide me with whatever I needed to overcome every temptation not to do so. My last prayer each night was asking for His forgiveness when I fell short and then thanking Him for those times He enabled me to. Before I close, I want to share the following conversation between Charlie and the Angel.

“Hey pal, I’ve been doing a whole lot of thinking since we last spoke. I’m really the kind of person that woman my daughter says I am. Now I’m in big trouble. I don’t want to go to Hell when we finally leave here. I want to be saved from winding up in that joint. What do I have to do, pal?” “Just believe in Him. It’s that simple, Charlie.” “But I do believe in Him. Since we last spoke I asked Him to forgive me and please save me—a lot of times. I was even crying, pal. But there was something you said earlier that’s been bugging me.” “What might that be Charlie?” “You told me it would take a miracle, and that’s what Martha and the rest of them are praying for.” “Oh but it did Charlie.” “I’m sorry but I disagree with you on that one pal. I did it of my own free will. Come to think of it, it was a piece of cake.” “Of course it was, Charlie. That’s because He chose you in Him before He created the world, so that you would be holy and blameless before Him. In short, He predestined you for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His unchanging eternal will. There is nothing human beings can do to become saved. They must be born again. Salvation is a supernatural gift from God.” “But how about my free will? No one made me ask God to forgive me. I did that freely pal.” Indeed you did Charlie. At a precise moment in time, the Lord opened your heart to pay attention to the things I told you, (Acts 16:14) and because you had been ordained to eternal life, you believed, (Acts 13:48). Salvation is a supernatural act of God. God is totally responsible for mans salvation and man is responsible if he isn’t saved. Both are true.” “I don’t really understand all the mechanics of this kind stuff pal.” “Neither does anyone else, Charlie, but it’s what the Word of God teaches. It’s a miracle” “Does that mean I’m in good shape?” Yes it does, Charlie.” “Wow! Martha and the others are in for a big surprise.” “As you are so fond of saying; you got that one right, Charlie.” “I also gotta say He used you to help me a lot and I don’t even know your name, pal.” “I thought you did Charlie. It’s Paladin, but I love it when my friends call me Pal. Now let’s get out of here Charlie. We shouldn’t keep Him waiting.”

That was the last time I ever heard the voices. But I had a powerful impression that as Charlie and the angel were leaving that room, a grinning angel turned and looked straight at me, and winked, which seemed to say, ‘You will get the desire of your heart.’ And I did, and the five of you were with me in the American Consulate in Israel to witness the most joyful reunion of my life. Thank you for coming here on this Christmas Eve. Please feel free to share my secret with anyone as you have the opportunity.

I have already prayed and asked God to turn my Christmas message into a blessing for each of you folks who just heard it and all those who may read it later. Before we sing the final hymn, let’s bow our heads for a moment and think about what I have just shared. Think about the love of the One who was born to die that you might live forever. I want to remind you the clock is ticking. Before it’s too late, if anyone hasn’t already done so, before your run out of time, I sincerely encourage you to make a decision to do something you will never regret. Ask Him to forgive you and to begin the life-long process of changing you into becoming more and more of a person resembling His Son Jesus.

In case any of you are wondering, I modeled Charlie’s characteristics after TV’s Archie Bunker and Jackie Gleason, and I’m happy to say, my former self.