90 Minutes in Heaven_ A True Story of Death & Life - Don Piper [58]
As their love continued to grow, however, Sue issued one simple condition for marriage: “I won’t marry a man who gets drunk.”
Charles not only stopped getting drunk, he quit drinking altogether. Now they were ready to talk of marriage.
One day they talked about the death of their spouses—both of whom had died of cancer. “If I’m ever diagnosed with cancer,” he said, “I’ll kill myself.” He knew that not only did the person with the disease suffer but their loved ones went through deep agony as well. “I couldn’t put anyone through that ordeal.”
They did marry, had a good marriage, and Charles never drank again. Sue had already been active in our church, but after their marriage, Charles also became active.
One day, however, he received the one diagnosis he feared most of all: He had cancer. Now he had to face his deep-seated terror. He was afraid that his diagnosis would put Sue through the same terrible ordeal she had faced before.
He also faced another fear after he received the diagnosis: The news forced him to confront his own mortality. “I’m terrified of dying,” he confessed. Although Charles was a church member and said he believed, he was one of those individuals who doubted his salvation. Sue assured him that while she was dedicated to seeing him through this crisis, she was concerned about his lack of assurance of his salvation. She had heard my testimony about heaven on several occasions and had retold my story to others.
“Can you talk to Charles?” she asked me one day. “He needs to hear your testimony from you.”
By then I had become the single adult minister of Pasadena’s First Baptist Church, where I am today. Sue and I had worked together on projects on many occasions.
“Please talk to him about salvation, but also tell him about what life is like after death. I believe that a man-to-man talk with Charles would do a lot for him.”
I knew Charles, of course, and because of his past, I suspected he thought he wasn’t good enough for God. I agreed to talk to him.
Charles and I hit it off right away. He was a great guy and easy to relate to. I made it a point to visit him on a regular basis. Whenever I came, Sue excused herself and stayed out of the room until I was ready to leave.
Even as Charles’s health deteriorated, he never displayed the least bit of anger or depression. We even talked about how difficult it was to be dependent on others for even the most personal of functions—bedpans, urinals, and bathing.
About the fourth time I visited, Charles finally opened up. “I’m afraid. I want to go to heaven, but I need assurance—I want to be certain that when I die, I’ll go to heaven.”
As he talked about his life, it was obvious that his experience with God was authentic. As is often the case, for many years before he married Sue, he simply hadn’t been a faithful follower of Christ. Several times I reminded him of the verses in the Bible that promise heaven as the ultimate destination for all believers.
“I know, I know,” he said. “Before I was saved, I knew I wouldn’t go to heaven. I was going to hell. Now I want to be sure about heaven.”
My description of heaven encouraged him. “Yes, yes, that’s what I want,” he said.
On one visit as he talked, he smiled and said, “I’m ready. I’m at peace. I finally know that I’ll go to heaven.”
On both of the last two visits I made, Charles said, “Tell me again. Tell me once more what heaven is like.”
I told him again, even though he had already heard everything I had to say. It was as if his assurance grew each time I talked about heaven.
A short time before he died, Sue put Charles in hospice at the Houston Medical Center, just a few doors away from where I had been hospitalized for such a long time.
On the last day of his life on earth, Charles told Sue, “It’s going to be all right. I’m going from pain to peace. Someday we’ll be together again.”
When Sue called and told me, she added, “He died absolutely