So One Day...

So one day, a man passes away after a long peaceful life devoted to his religion.  He had by most accounts, those of his peers, it was a good life.  He helped at the church, he gave food to his churches food bank, gave money every week.  If someone took the Lord God's name in vein he would politely rebuke the person, and when he did the same, he would always make it a point to apologize to the Almighty in prayer, and attempt to make a mends for it in some way.

But now, his life was at it's end.  He had passed away, being remembered as a good man, one devoted to God, his God.  Doing all the things he had been told to do by his preachers, teachers, and parents.  These same things he had told his children, and his children's children, and his children's children's children (That would be Great-Grandparent status if I lost you).  He loved his fellow man, regardless of color, sexual identity, or religion, but he hoped that they would see the error of their ways, and would repent before it was to late.  But for him it was.

Now this kindly old man, stood before his judgement (and if you do not believe in such that is fine).  He stood there, before a court of all humanity, the judge was the Almighty himself, there was no jury (one does not have that protection in the court of God), but there was a prosecutor.  As he instinctively took his seat as the defendant, as he knew his life was on trial, he was comfortable with what was to come.  HE had lived his life as a good christian man.  There was no doubt in his soul as he watched the Satan take the record of his life up to the Almighty.

The almighty picked up the book, a record of 90 years of life, and scrolled through the pages, reviewing all the things the man had done, all the could have's, the would have's, and the should have's that make up all of a man's life. 

After a while, the Almighty sets the book down gently and looks at the man, and with the kindest of voices he spoke "I see many deeds, I see where you have done so many things.  Do you feel that you have lived your life to the best of your abilities?"

The man looks, and ponders the question, not a superficial thinking, he really thought back over the entirety of his life, finally he answered, "Lord, I have made my share of mistakes, I have been in error, I have sinned, but I think that I did the best I could, I tried so very hard to meet your standards, I accepted your son as my savior."

The Almighty mulled over his response, before simply saying, "True."

After a few more moments of silence, the Almighty spoke again, "Tell me, my favorite of creations, Man, what did you do to help your fellow man, in their time of trouble?"

At this point the man became confused, he looked at the Almighty, wondering what he meant, but knowing at the same time.  He was compelled to tell of his works, and his motives.  "I gave to the church I belonged to, trusting that you would steer what I had given to it, to where it was needed.  When I had excess I gave it away, I am sure that what I gave was given to those in need, the money went to the needy, the food went to the starving, the clothing and blankets went to the cold."

The Almighty sat quietly, and shook his head as he listened.  After several more moments of silence, the Almighty spoke to the man once again, and once again using a gentle voice he said.  "It is a pity, you did so much with a noble heart, you gave to your church, hoping and expecting that your gift would benefit those in need, you gave to charities that claimed to feed the starving, that clothed the poor, but you did nothing for your fellow man, those closest around you.  You simply directed them to your church, which in turn closed it's doors on them.  I have your judgement in mind as we speak."

The man's heart sunk as he heard his lord, his savior, his God speak, for he finally understood why all those people had come to him, had been sent to him, it dawned on him that no matter how good of a man he was, he had been lacking, and now the confidence was gone, replaced with fear. 

God continued speaking as the fear of hell's fire, and an indefinite torment awaited him; "I love all mankind, even the ones who think I do not, but there is one thing I dislike, if I were human, I would hate, and that is you missed the point of it all.  Everything in life is judgement, you are born being judged, this is just the formality of it.  While you did so much good in your life, you could have done more.  You gave to the church, your church when you had, when you did not have.  Yet your church abused that gift, even now, the money you gave is being used to build a bigger, more modern church, something that is not needed.  It is not that my word needs to be spread, in time it will reach the far corners of the Universe, but it will do so, not because of people preaching it.  It will grow because of what people do.  You, in a flawed and failed way, tried, but you did nothing to help all those who came before you, and asked for your help.  You passed the buck along, you prayed to me to fix a situation that you and others could have.  I will not condemn you to hell, but what I will condemn you to is worse.  A life in which others pay you the same respect as you paid them in life.  In your next life, you will be the one in need, seeking the help of others, and some will help more than you did, others will do more, most will do less."

In a moment the man was gone from the court, the Satan looked at the Almighty and said, "That was cruel sire, did he really deserve that punishment, surely he had done enough good to warrant a reprieve?"

The Almighty looked and said, "Perhaps he did, but until a person learns what it is like to have the most to give, the least to give, and accepts that it requires more to pass on than to fear me, accept or reject me, accept all people for who and what they are, they are doomed to constantly repeat the history of their lives, good and bad."

Somewhere in a hospital, a poor woman is in labor, fearing the medical bills that are about to begin, wondering if she should give her son up for adoption, but as soon as he is in her arms, she will decide to do the best for him she can.  She will love him, comfort him, push him, and make him into the man he will become, out of an unconditional love.  Bills be damned, she thinks as she looks down into his eyes, I will make this work.

And so the events of life yet to be begin.  A life of suffering and learning that all humanity will face.