Reservations

Between the time I am writing this and the time you are reading this the Waggoner family will have done what, according to the AAA, 84% of Americans will do in the months of June, July and August; go on vacation by automobile. To make a trip less stressful, Lisa Reuter, travel editor for the Columbus Dispatch, offers one vital rule for traveling: "Reserve a room in advance."* This is one thing I was sure to do before this trip. I learned this lesson the hard way some years ago. Julie and I were taking a week's vacation when Jessica was about six months old. When it was time to get off the road we decided to get a room in Blacksburg Virginia. The man behind the desk met my inquiry about a room with the words, "Do you have a reservation?" He then informed me that it happened to be graduation week at VPI and there was not a room available for miles around! I should have made a reservation. So it was back on the road hoping to find a friendly place without the "no vacancy" sign lit up. We finally did locate a place with a room open only to find that they already had used up all of their cribs. We had to take the pillows and blankets off the spare bed and make a bed for Jessica in the bathtub! We do not travel that much since more than half of my annual two weeks vacation is obligated to visits with relatives. But when we do travel the first thing that gets made is a reservation. In fact this is one of the few good reasons to own a credit card, you can guarantee your room on it and not have to worry about your room being given to another if you arrive later than planned.

Even though most of us would not make a trip without a reservation it is amazing that so few have made preparation for an even more important trip. One that is on the calendar and one that we cannot avoid. Yes, the day will come when all of us will make the trip into eternity. Have you made reservations for an eternal home? The only way to make reservations is through Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Please be sure you understand getting to heaven has nothing to do with your good works but only with life-changing faith in Jesus Christ. If you would like help in understanding how to be saved, get in touch with me right away.

For this vacation I have a card that I will carry in the van that has directions from our home to the place we will be staying. I also have written confirmation of my reservation to take along. This will make for a more peaceful, worry free trip. There is something calming about knowing there is a place for you up ahead. If your reservation for heaven is sure through faith in Christ, let me invite you to enjoy the peace that this should bring to your soul. Even when things look and are discouraging remember someplace infinitely better lies ahead. The Bible says that for believers the doors of heaven are always open (see Rev. 21:25). There are no, "no vacancy" signs attached to the gates of pearl. There is a place reserved for you! This truth is not only to be known; it is to be enjoyed! So, sit back for a few moments, relax and enjoy the assurance of your eternal "reservation." Since as believers our future is secure and we have Christ with us in the present, we should declare with Paul the apostle; "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phillippians 1:21).

*Columbus Dispatch, May 25, 1997.

Jesse Waggoner
Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

©1997 Calvary Baptist Church
Back to Main Page
To read some past columns click below
"My Movie Camera"
"Anthills"
"Giant Rat-Eating Frogs"
"Ol Man River"
To View Complete Archive