Today is a day like any other day—the sun rose, the kids are off to school, and there is work to be done. But it’s also the three-year anniversary of Naomi’s death, so let’s pause the normal routines of our lives for a moment and reflect on what it means to die.

What happens when we die? Well, if the Bible is true, everyone will be judged by a perfectly holy God and found guilty of sin. We have rejected God, and so He will reject us by casting us into a place of eternal torment and suffering called hell. This final act of judgment will be fairest, most impartial sentence ever handed down by any judge ever. We will get exactly what we deserve—unless someone else loves us enough to die in our place.

Jesus did exactly that. He came to save the helpless and the lost. When He was crucified, he “became sin,” meaning He bore the full suffering of eternity in hell for all who believe. And when He rose from the dead, He proved that His love for His people is stronger than death and hell. He loves you, and all you need to do to avoid an eternity in hell is to accept the gift He has given and worship Him as your Lord. That message is what we call the gospel, or “good news.”

I believe that Naomi is in heaven with Jesus, and that I will see her again someday. I believe this because of the Scripture that says that the children of Christian believers are “holy”—that is, set apart as belonging to the covenant of grace. As we held her for the last time, we committed her to God’s care and keeping. I remember telling her as her life was slipping away, “Go and be with Jesus.” And I believe she did exactly that. I can only imagine her delight and surprise when she arrived in her true eternal home and met her Lord for the first time.

But that’s only if the Bible is true. If the Bible is not true, then all my hope is in vain. There would be no meaning or purpose in Naomi’s short life and in all of the suffering that she had to endure. I know this because I grew up an atheist. I believed that human life was a fluke of random chemical reactions, and that ultimately there was no purpose in any of it. And let me tell you, there’s nothing more depressing than believing that your life is random, full of suffering, and pointless.

Naomi obviously did not have the cognitive faculties necessary to hear the gospel and accept Christ as her Lord. But we do. My three boys can’t ride our spiritual coattails forever; they will one day have to make their own decision to follow God (or reject Him). And the rest of us have a similar choice to make.

I believe that part of the reason Naomi was born was to point us to God. Will you turn to Him and be saved, or reject this message altogether and live your life surrounded by distractions? Don’t just remember Naomi as a sweet little baby who died for no reason. Get a Bible, and start reading it (the Gospel of John is a great place to start). If you do, and if you find God to be your Lord and Savior, I have a hunch that Naomi will be thrilled to meet you in heaven and learn that her short life was used by God to draw you to Him.

We can’t run from it forever—we’re going to die someday. And when we do, we can either spend eternity with God, or away from Him. Which one will you choose?

-Mike

P.S. Have questions about any of this? Want to share something of your own? Drop me a comment or message me and I’ll do my best to give you an honest answer. Thanks for reading.