Millpond Ink Musing, 2015 – Of Souls and Soles

The young woman sat down next to the old man in the park. The old man looked over and saw that she had a Bible, opened to John, Chapter Three. She read a passage out loud.   

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

When she finished, she smiled, but didn’t say another word right then. 

‘Yes, I know. I’ve heard John 3:16 before,.’ the old man replied. ‘In fact I’ve seen people holding signs up with that verse printed in the end zone at football games. It’s been a while though. Then again, I haven’t watched much football. Still… in the end zone – that’s ironic: end zone. That’s where I’m seated in life. It would certainly be far more impressive if that person held the sign standing in the midst of burning bleachers, situated in a cemetery. That’s what it’s all about, right? Hell, fire and brimstone…? Everlasting?’ 

You know what I don’t get? Why everlasting? Why not for a few hundred thousand years and then just leave it at that, and then be gone with the whole lot – annihilated. If God wants to push it – and if I’m really, really bad – maybe a soul may suffer a million years. There’s only so many sins a person can commit in a solitary lifetime… most of those? Petty – little white lies… you know, those unthinking OMG’s said in vain… taking something home from work not yours. Sure, I could see someone like Hitler… Lenin… Stalin… those guys rung up by God for a couple hundred million years, but you – me? What did we do? How can people say God is just and he then tosses us along with everyone else into an everlasting hell-fire hoosegow?’

‘What’s that? I sound like I’ve heard it all before? Well, yes, I have sweetheart. Maybe your generation hasn’t, but mine has – the boomers – and most of my generation pushed back against the ‘man’ – ‘the law’ and ‘the church.’  Words spoken from cankered mouths can only spread future evil if left uncorrected… such words were spewed back in the 60’s and carried into our liberality today. It’s been my prayer since then that a generation would come that would hear the Word of Christ anew… and here you are sitting next to me. 

‘Oh, Grampa.’