Reserved Seats

"Hurry, Dad!" urged Archer as he and his father sped down the freeway toward the baseball stadium. It was his first time going to a major league baseball game, and he didn't want to miss any part of it. "If we're late, we might not find a good place to sit!" "Don't worry, Archer. They won't give our seats away. Our tickets are right here." Dad tapped his left jacket pocket. "Bought and paid for. Our places are reserved for us.""Reserved--that means they're saved for us, right?""Right," said Dad as he turned into the stadium parking lot. "People make reservations all the time--for airplane tickets, hotel rooms, restaurants, and…" Dad patted his pocket again. "For seats at baseball games." He glanced at Archer. "You may not have known it, but when you trusted Jesus as your Savior at camp last month, He made a reservation for you then too.""Really?" Archer looked at his father in surprise. "Yes!" said Dad. "You now have a reservation in heaven, and there will always be a place there for you. Jesus paid for it Himself by dying on the cross for your sins and rising from the dead, and when He comes back one day, you'll have your own special place in the new, perfect world He creates."They parked the car and hurried to the stadium. "Are you sure they saved our seats?" asked Archer as he looked at the sea of spectators. "If they didn't, we'll probably have to stand up the entire game!"Dad smiled as he looked at the stubs of their tickets. He motioned toward a man who was helping people find their seats. "That gentleman will show us where to go," said Dad. "Come on."Archer followed his dad through the noisy crowd, and soon, there they were--two empty seats. "All right!" said Archer. "Here they are, Dad! Just waiting for us!"As they settled down into their seats, Dad turned to Archer. "These seats are great, but they're nothing compared to having reservations in heaven, are they? I'm glad there are places saved for both of us there." Archer smiled and nodded, then turned toward the field to watch the game.–Jonnye R. Griffin