As time passes we all notice the truth in changing seasons. Part of those changes relate to people who come in and out of our lives. Several years ago I was quite close to a friend who impressed upon me questions and hope simply by telling me about a life changing event he’d had.
When I met him he didn’t practice a faith outwardly of any kind other than to absolutely know there was life after death. He was so sure of it, he had a cavalier attitude towards life, but not in a reckless regard. I had to ask him why he believed there was more than just dying. What he told me would never leave my memory. My retelling is vague on details but then it didn’t happen to me. This is merely as I remember our conversations. I apologize to my friend if I butchered his tale.
He had been an altar boy (mind you I had no idea what that meant) and around the age of six, while riding his bike one day he was hit by a car. He died there but didn’t realize it until afterwards. His memory was of himself being able to look down over the scene with people gathered about his body and he could remember his mother crying. He couldn’t understand why his mother was so sad.
His next memory was walking with a grandfather he hadn’t met before, but he simply knew who he was. As they walked and talked this grandfather figure asked him if he could see anything he wanted what would it be? The boy answered, “blue roses” and his request was answered. He marveled at being able to see “blue roses”. His grandfather told him he had to go back and my friend was returned to his body.
I share his conversation not to hype the “life after death” story since all who have real faith understand this to be fact. Why I share it is because of the many questions it brought into my life very young when I was merely partying and thinking there was no God and no purpose. The simple telling of one’s “life experience” was one of the strongest witnesses I had ever encountered. This man never tried to get me to go to church or believe in Jesus, he simply shared his story and refused to budge from the fact “there is life after death” and thus he had nothing to fear in death.
His story changed my outlook. It made me ask questions and it gave me hope! I suddenly saw there might be more to this life than what I had been living. His story helped me pick up my bible years later to find out why he believed he saw “blue roses”.