"The LORD bless you and keep you ..."
Numbers 6:24
The crowd surrounding the believer greeted a man walking toward them. "Hello, Peter!" The sense of familiarity and camaraderie was palpable. Everyone innately knew everyone. The believer recognized and knew the man was Peter, the Lord's disciple, without ever having met him.
"Welcome to God's Heaven," Peter said. "I'm here to take you on a tour."
Wearing a smile that couldn't be hidden, the believer accompanied Peter. They saw wonders that cannot be described. Light permeated everything. Music filled the air like a palpable mist, gentle chords in some places and deep rich worship in others. Everywhere there was worship. The believer felt more alive than ever before. With Peter leading the way, the believer stepped ever deeper into the wonders of God's Heaven.
When Peter walked right by a large ornate building with no description or intention to stop, the believer asked, "We missed that beautiful building! What's in there?" Peter didn't answer. He simply sighed, turned back to open the door, and beckoned the believer to follow. The building was as exquisite as all the others Peter had shown, each different and unique. This building had rows and rows of floor-to-ceiling shelves. On the shelves were identical boxes. An uncountable number of boxes stacked on an endless number of shelves. When they drew closer, the believer saw each box was imbued with colors and a name written on it in perfect penmanship. A box for each believer who would spend eternity in Heaven.
"Peter," the believer inquired with curiosity, "do I have a box?" Peter nodded.
"May I see my box?" With another somber nod, Peter seemed to disappear and return almost immediately. Travel was indeed different in Heaven. Peter held a beautiful box with colors and designs the believer had never seen. The believer's name was written on the front! It was quite exciting.
"Peter, may I open my box?" the believer requested.
"You may," Peter replied somberly, "but there are many other treasures to see instead. I suggest we leave this building ..."
Undeterred, the believer gently lifted the cover of the exquisite box. It was half filled with the most amazing collection –– glimpses of events, objects, faces of people both familiar and unknown. It was like a video of events in the believer's life. Except none of them ever happened. None of them. –– the believer on a mission trip, handwritten letter, generous donation, delicious dinner, several events of volunteering, singing with children. A woman in a grocery line, a man in an elevator, a lonely woman in assisted living, a collection box for warm coats for children this winter.
Puzzled, the believer looked at Peter and whispered, "I don't understand. What is all this? What's in this box?"
Peter sighed again. "This is your Blessings Box. These are all blessings the Father wanted to give you. Blessings the Father wanted to give others through you."
"Did He?" the believer asked timidly. Peter shook his head.
"Why not?"
"Because, dear one, you were not willing. You ignored His Spirit's prompting. You didn't want to go. You didn't want to serve. You didn't feel like talking to anyone that day. You didn't make time to prepare that meal. You didn't make that last visit. You didn't experience these blessings that God wanted to share with you."
The believer's eyes slowly moved from the box to Peter. "So ... what happened?"
"The Father called someone else to go. Someone else to serve. Someone else to share the good new of Jesus with that hurting person. Someone else went on the mission field. Someone else wrote the note. Someone else donated."
Unsure how to respond, now it was the believer who sighed somberly.
"Dear one," Peter explained, "the goal when you arrive in Heaven is to have nothing in your box. To have a heart so open to God's Spirit that each day on earth you asked to be used, listened for His prompting, and gave away God's abundant blessings to others, thereby also bringing God's blessings on yourself. God planned your life with work designed only for you to do. When you do it, He generously gives away blessings! God designed your life to bring encouragement and His love to many others. God is overjoyed by surprising His children with unexpected blessings. If only people could understand... they rob God of His joy in blessing them when their lives are filled with endless noise and silly distractions until they cannot hear when He whispers to them."
"Is God mad at me?" the believer whispered.
"No, beloved. He is just sad. His children miss His expressions of love when they are too busy to want them."
As they turned to leave the building, the believer whispered a silent prayer for all beloved family and friends still on earth. Please, God, don't let them waste a day or miss an opportunity. Please let their Blessings Box be empty.
It's only a fictional story, but it's also thought-provoking. If God had a "Blessings Box" awaiting us in Heaven, would there be any blessings from 2025 in our box right now because we missed opportunities to honor Him? It's not too late to make some changes. As believers, let's offer our silent prayer to God for 2026:
"Please, God,
Help us to have less noise and distractions in our lives and more hunger for You. Help us see the opportunities You place in our lives each day and do something! Help us be people You can trust to be a blessing to others, and bring joy to You.
Next Year , Lord ..."
Changed by His Word.