Once upon a time, not in the past at all, but a number of years in the future,  two people die on the same day.  That’s not unusual, of course, but these two people had once known each other and had shared a particular interest.

One of them is a very old woman named Connie.  The other is a man who had been young when they knew each other, although not so young anymore.  His name is Benjamin.

So they both die of natural causes, on the same day, and since they are both fine, upstanding Christians, they find themselves both standing at the entrance to the pearly gates, side by side.  They exchange a glance and then ~

“Connie!” says Benjamin, at almost the same time that Connie says, “Benjamin!”

They hug, and chat a minute, congratulate themselves on being there – right at the Pearly Gate.  Just as they’re beginning to wonder how long they’re going to have to wait, the Gate opens and out comes God.

They know it’s God because He looks just like they’d always imagined.  A little bit like the wind, a little bit like a burning flame, and a little bit like an old man with a beard.

So God greets them, and they’re trembling and all excited about being in God’s presence.  But God quickly puts them at ease, and they find themselves reviewing their lives and feeling pretty good about it.  God has lots of positive feedback, and they’re smiling and soaking up the praise.

Then God says, “But I’ve got one problem with the things you did on earth, one thing we’ve got to really talk about.”  They’re nodding, listening intently.

“It’s about the abortion clinic,” God says.  “You both used to go down there and protest abortion.  Connie, you would stand by the door and hand out literatue, trying to persuade women to come back out.  Benjamin, you actually called yourself a sidewalk counselor, right?”

Benjamin and Connie are both nodding and smiling now, wondering if they’re going to get some kind of special recognition for their work there.

But God says, “What were you thinking?   What made you think it was a good idea to try to interfere at that point with the decision those women had made?”

Taken aback, Connie says, “Well, it was a baby.  They were killing babies down there!”

Benjamin says, “And I loved them!  I wanted to help them, to show them Christian love!”

God sadly shakes his head.  “What made you think that abortion was wrong?  A fetus is not a baby.  They didn’t have souls yet.  I put the souls in much later.”

Connie gasps, “Well, that’s not true!  Of course they were babies!  Poor little babies!!  What are you saying?  This is a test, right?  You can’t mean that!!”

Again, God shakes his head.  “No, Connie.  That’s not right.  Those fetuses were not part of my plan.  I didn’t intend for them to be born.”

There was a pause while Connie and Benjamin try to absorb the shock.  Then God says, “A couple of times, you did some real harm.

“One time, there was a young woman who was going to become a doctor.  She would have saved many lives, and her work would have helped find the cure for Parkinson’s disease twenty years ago.  Connie, you told that woman not to worry, to go ahead and have the baby and that she would have help.  And you did help her through the pregnancy, but once the baby was born you all lost interest.

“Another time, Benjamin, you told a young woman that you’d help, that you’d make sure the baby was taken care of.  But once the child was born, the “help” was over.  That baby grew up to be a serial killer.  In and out of foster homes.  No attachment.  No role model.  Benjamin, you sure weren’t there when he needed you.”

Connie and Benjamin look at each other and then back at God.  “This can’t be right,” says Benjamin.  “You were in charge, that’s not my fault.  I made sure she didn’t kill that baby, that’s all I could do.”

“That’s right,” says Connie.  “Killing babies is murder, that’s all there is to it.  We did the right thing.”

“Well, no,” says God, “That’s what I’m trying to tell you.  You did a lot of good things in your life, but going down there and shaming those women, lying to them, all that? That wasn’t one of the good things you did.  You need to understand that before you can enter the Gates of Heaven.”

Connie and Benjamin exchange looks again.  “Wait a minute,” Benjamin says.  “How do we know you’re God?  How do we know this isn’t a trick?”

“Well,” God smiles, bemused, “You know, here I am, there’s the pearly gates, I’m reviewing your lives.  Who else could it be?”

“How do we know that’s heaven?” Connie says.  “How do we know that you’re really God?  God wouldn’t say it was ok to kill those little pre-born babies.  I just can’t believe that.”

God frowns a little, shakes his head.  “Not babies yet.  But that’s beside the point. The biggest problem was that you decided you knew what I wanted.  What my plan for everyone was.  And then you tried to cast shame on people.  To bully them into doing what you thought was right.  That’s not ok.”

But Connie and Benjamin are backing away from him.  “You’re not God,” says Benjamin.  “I can tell!  You can’t be God.”   He looks around, “Where is God? Where’s the real God?”

Connie begins looking all around too, as if she thinks God is hiding and likely to jump out and yell, “Surprise!”

God chuckles a little.  “Well,” he says, “I can leave the choice up to you.  You can accept the idea that you didn’t really have it right down there at the clinic, and you come to heaven with me.  Or you can stick to your way of thinking, and go here instead.”

As he speaks, he waves a hand.  Suddenly, a stairway opens up at their feet.  The stairway leads down.   At the bottom of it, they see a couple of people waving their arms at them.

“Look!” says Connie, “That’s my old friend Tom down there!  You remember him from the clinic, don’t you?”

“Sure,” says Benjamin, “I sure do!  And see, that’s Sarah down there too, you remember her, right?”

“That’s hell,” says God.  “It’s completely your choice at this point.  To enter the Pearly Gates, all you have to do is recognize that you were doing your will, not mine, what you thought was right, not what I wanted, down there at the clinic.  Otherwise, you’re welcome to join your friends Tom and Sarah in hell.

Benjamin and Connie stare down the stairway. They can see Sara and Tom pretty well, and see that they’re waving and yelling something, but they can’t hear the words, or even interpret the looks on their faces.

“You think about it,” says God.  “I’ve got some newcomers to deal with over here on the other side of heaven.”  And he disappears, leaving Connie and Benjamin standing right outside the gates.

{To be continued…}