THE FLAG MARKS THE SPOT?

Milton, here for Kristy:

I have read and studied the Bible all my life. It would be hard to guess how many times I have read it through, yet every step of my journey unfolds new and deeper meaning of God's Word. Now that Kristy is in heaven, I will admit that I think of heaven more. My mind spins wondering what she is doing there. 

Hebrews 12:1 tells us about the witnesses in heaven that are over us as a cloud. Amazing! Thrilling! Awesome! What a concept--a cloud of witnesses.

She can see me. I believe that there is a cloud of witnesses in heaven watching us. A "witness" is someone who has seen or is aware to definitive degree about situations and circumstances. A witness basically is someone who has a real record of what has happened. 

So, I believe Kristy is a real witness of what is happening. 

Let me tell you something funny that happened in a very tough part of this journey. The day I had to go to the cemetery to identify the specific plot Kristy was to be buried was unbelievably hard, yet in a quirky way something funny happened.

The person assigned to take me to identify the plot suggested that since is was so unbearably hot that we just stay in the car and she would point to the grave spot as we watched and we would nod our heads and the site would be noted for burial. I had already bought the plot so this seemed a reasonable thing to do as it was blazing hot. They had a legal description of the site and knew exactly where she was to be buried.

As we walked out the door toward our car to go to the grave site, I felt impressed that I should actually get out of the car and stand on the site with the cemetery official and told Terry, Kristy's brother, that we should stand on the site location and see the site. He agreed.

As we drove to the area of her grave, the lady leading us in a golf cart drove by the site, and I told Terry that she had passed it. He wasn't sure and then she got out and I thought that I was mistaken. We stood over the grave and she put a flag marker to note the correct grave and then she left. This was the spot Kristy would be buried.

Terry and I looked around for her parent's graves which were close by except that their graves were missing. No, they weren't missing. This wasn't the right spot. The lady had the marker in the wrong place.

I yelled out to her as she was driving off in the distance and called for her to come back. She stopped and turned around and then stood with us. I said that this isn't the right place that you have marked for Kristy. She looked around and finally agreed that a mistake has been made. 

Wow! 

Kristy was almost put in the wrong spot. Can't you imagine what that could have been like to get to the grave service and find out she was being put in the wrong spot. Can you imagine what she would have said to me when I got to heaven if she was placed in the wrong grave?

Finally we got the correct site and placed the flag marker again into the ground.

As Terry and I got into the car, I said, "Terry do you know what just happened?"

"What?" he replied.

"Well, as we walked out of the office to get into the car, Kristy leaned over to the Holy Spirit and said, 'Tell Milton to check the site location out. They are about to bury me in the wrong spot!' 

Terry, Kristy was watching and wouldn't let me do this wrong!"

I can't prove that is what happened, but I believe there is a cloud of witnesses watching. I believe Kristy is watching. Grace and Udell are watching. My grandparents and Kristy's grandparents are watching. Many others who are dear to us are watching. They all are rooting us on to victory.

I am home alone tonight. It is hard. The house is quiet--too quiet. But Jesus is here, Mr. Green is here,  and there are witnesses watching and waiting for us to cross the finish line.

Kristy won! 

I will win too!

One final thing, I haven't had one desire to go back to her grave, not once. There would be nothing wrong with going there. Many find comfort in visiting the resting places of their loved ones. I respect that and understand.

I drive passed the cemetery often as it is just up the street from the church I pastor, but I have not been drawn there. Kristy is in heaven. She is not in that grave. She is watching me. That is enough for me.