He Waited: A Short Story
“He Waited” is A Thought-Provoking Short Story about how patient God truly is and how the choice lies with us.
A woman died and walked up to the pearly gates guarded by two, 12 ft. angels. The woman smiled and asked, “Could you let me in now?”
One of the angels was holding a huge book in his hand. He responded, “Please wait while I search for your name in the Book of Life. If it’s here, we will open the gates for you. ”
While waiting for the angel, the woman gazed around and couldn’t get over how beautiful the land was. She gushed, “This is gorgeous! The colors here are so beautiful and vibrant…nothing like anything I’d seen while on Earth!” She then lifted her nose and inhaled the air long and slow, “Mmmm, what’s that smell? It’s the most pleasant scent I have ever smelled!”
“It’s the scent of Heaven,” an angel flying by responded in joy, “It comes from our Lord Jesus!”
“Hmmm, Jesus?” the woman thought.
Getting more excited just thinking about everything else she would see, smell and explore in this wonderful place, the woman ran to the angels at the tall gates, glanced at them back and forth, and asked vigorously, “Find it yet?!”
The angel looked sad, “I’m sorry. Your name is not here” He replied.
“Look again”, the woman pleaded.
The angel looked a second time and confirmed, “I can officially say your name has not been recorded in the Book of Life. Again, I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean?!” the woman gasped in shock and disbelief! “This can’t be! What am I supposed to do now?! Where am I supposed to go?”
Realizing the woman’s frustration, the angel holding the Book of Life urged the other angel, “Call the King!”
At the speed of thought, Jesus appeared instantaneously before the woman, face to face. The woman blurted out, “So it is true! You really are God!”
“Yes, I am,” Jesus smiled.
The woman looked into His eyes which were full of love, a love she had never felt before, and with a genuine heart, she asked, “Jesus, why haven’t you written my name in the Book of Life? I want to be here.”
Then Jesus replied, “When I created you, I was so pleased! I made you special. You were My wonderful creation, but you never chose to become my child. This is My home, and when My children leave Earth, they always come home to Me. And here, I have prepared a place for each and every one of them. I have given them mansions, each customized to their personal taste. Every desire of their heart I have fulfilled here…for My children. But you never chose to become My child. You just chose to remain as My creation.”
Trying to take everything in, the woman could only slowly respond with an incomplete, “But…..?”
Jesus continued, “Your parents didn’t know me when you were a child and they never brought you to church, but when you got to high school, you heard fellow classmates speak of Me and My name, but you followed the crowd and mocked them. When you got to college, you experimented with things you should not have and lost control of your life. It hurt my heart and I cried. I waited for you to call My name so I could help you, but you never did. I waited.“
“When your parents passed away, that was the first time I heard you cry out to Me. I ran to comfort you because I loved you…as I still do. It wasn’t until 10 years later that I would hear you say my name again, but it was only to criticize your children for choosing to follow Me. When they brought you to church, your children prayed to Me to soften your heart in efforts that you would give your heart to Me…so I did, but you began to battle in your mind whether I really died for you or even if I existed. So you focused on their church and judged them for their many members, the beauty of the architecture, and how much the pastor profited. I waited.”
“You questioned, “How could a loving God send anyone to Hell, or allow someone to go there?” So, I had your friends explain to you that I don’t send anyone to Hell, they send themselves by rejecting Me, the One and Only True God. I am the Way. And as there are only two places for you to go when your Earthly body expires, your soul is either drawn to the home of sin or salvation.”
“You tried filling your life with traveling, activities, material things, and relationships. You remained an empty, thirsting cup waiting to be filled. I was willing to fill it, but you never called on Me. I waited.
“Eventually, you looked at the world and said you believed there was a god, but didn’t know Who He was. I would soon after send many people your way to tell you of My love for you, but you rejected Me. You must understand that I am a gentleman and will never force you to love Me.”
Two days ago, I whispered sweet love songs in your ear as you slept, and you heard. You thought in your heart you would possibly give your life to Me when you reached your death bed, but you never made it there. I waited for you to become My child so I could welcome you home to be with me forever and enjoy eternal life. I waited.”
The woman felt ashamed for being so foolish. “Well, Jesus, can I have another chance?”
“I love you, and will ALWAYS love you, but Salvation is only granted on Earth.”
A tear fell down Jesus’ cheek as He knew He would have to say goodbye to the woman, the beautiful creation that He loved so dearly. She felt His sorrow and realized that it wasn’t His choice. It was hers for 45 years…but she rejected Him.
Then, just as quickly as Jesus appeared, that’s how fast He vanished!
The woman looked down and cried to herself, “He waited.”
-by Jennifer Bagnaschi
Wonderfully written! The Love of Jesus gushes out! The reader can’t help but feel it, and it conveys so well that the choice is ours to make, here and now. I know there are several places where scripture mentions our names being written in the Lamb’s book of life (such as Revelation 20:15; 21:27). One I have always found interesting is Revelation 3:5, because it talks about our names being erased or blotted out – as if they were written all along but we, by our choice, caused our name to be removed. Heartbreaking thought. Thank you for such a wonderful story ❤️
It’s great that you pointed that out! Rev. 3:5 goes against the “once saved always saved” narrative, which is also dangerous.
It can be for those who never move forward in their faith journey into a personal intimacy and relationship with our Lord, for the Bible tells us that even devils believe and tremble. But I like to see this passage as Jesus telling us that our names were written in His book from the very beginning, but saying no to the salvation He offers multiple times over while He waited caused our names to be erased the moment we die.
What a beautiful depiction of Our Lord and Savior. Thank you for this short story and my prayer is that this will prick the Soul of reader’s to recognize God’s patient nudging for us to receive His call. God bless you.
Amen! Thank you.
This is so touching! The love of Jesus so evident. Blessings to you for using God’s gift He has given you.
Amen, Vickie!
Very touching story. However, it touches on the idea that some people, when they realize their error, will try to repent after death. After all, didn’t the Rich Man in Jesus’ story of him and the beggar, Lazarus, want to change his ways? Well, actually, NOT. He still only wanted relief, the kind of luxury he had enjoyed in life.
The only people in hell will be those who refuse God’s mercy even to the end, as illustrated in The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis. “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell.”
❤️&🙏 c.a.
Thanx for your amazing blogs!
Thanks for such an amazing story of love in Christ. God bless you for sharing this love in the post.
You’re welcome!
Heaven’s Gate
What if I were to buy a one way ticket to heaven’s doors?
But who would I see?
Do I leave everyone I love behind to see
All those long gone, meet their spouses
And more loved ones?
What if I get to heaven’s gate and I’m thrown out?
What then?
Do I come back with my tail between my legs,
Shamed, fearful, angry that heaven decrees
My inappropriateness to such a haloed places.
Do I let it go, stay the same and be mediocre?
Or do I go back to my life,
Exert from my poetry book, Perfectly Flawed, I think it fits with the idea you’re giving
What a beautiful poem,Malakkc!
I too was captivated by your short story. Thank You!
You’re welcome 😊