On Thursday, August 21 Dr. James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family passed away.  Almost all things about family I learned from him on my car radio as I drove to school or work more than forty years ago.  I remember his favorite words that he used to say to his children, “Be there,” to remind them of the reality of heaven and how he longed for that reunion with his family after he died.  Now he is already there waiting for his wife and children, and by the grace of God, they’ll all be there.  We, too, will be there someday.

Several days ago, I spoke with my colleague in the Bible school who is undergoing another round of chemotherapy.  For months he was symptoms-free and felt so healthy that he could carry on his daily activities.  But recent check-up showed that his Stage-4 lung cancer had grown more than three times its previous size.  He shared with me that the doctor had told him that this round of chemo that he is now receiving is the last arsenal they have for him. No more meds. 

Despite the grim prognosis he remains calm and positive; he kept telling me that he feels just fine.  When he asked me what’s going on with him that despite the progression of his disease he feels just fine, I answered that’s the mystery of heaven.  The world says one thing, but heaven says another. The world says that he is not well and that he’s supposed to be very sick, but heaven says that he is well and should carry on.  So, I told him to go by what heaven says.

In August 1990, Dr. James Dobson suffered a heart attack while he’s playing basketball.  By the grace of God, he was cured and was able to live a productive life for the next 35 years.  I call it the mystery of heaven.  Lots of people died from a sudden heart attack or at least suffered a debilitating stroke.  God let him live relatively unscathed.  We must hear what the world says, but we go by what heaven says.

Pastor Paul