Training Guide for Heaven

Life is a journey. There is a beginning: you are born. For many people, there is a middle: you go to school, work, get married, have children, reach middle age, and retire. There is an end: you die.

So what happens at the end when you die? Is it really an end? A transition to something else? Shouldn’t you know? Is it even knowable?

Yes, it is knowable, and yes, you should know. What happens when you die is the most important question in your life. Yet few people want to think about it.

We all know for certain that life here on earth has an end. Everyone dies. The mortality rate is 100 percent, but is it truly the end? Could the end be merely the starting point for something bigger? Much, much bigger? The Bible says yes!

The decisions you make in this life, the way you live on this earth, affects what will happen to you when this life on earth ends. It profoundly affects your destination. There are many forks in the road as we proceed on life’s journey. Death is the final fork in the road, with only two branches. We are offered a choice of which branch to take and must make that decision before we die.

So the most important question in your life is, What happens to you when you die? The object of life, then, should be to arrive at a desired destination when life ends. All journeys start with a destination in mind. You work backward from the destination to figure out how to get there.

Goals

Let’s say you plan to drive to the Wisconsin Dells from Minneapolis for a family vacation. What would you do? You’d find Wisconsin Dells on the map and trace your finger back to Minneapolis. You’d see that Interstate Highway 90 takes you from Minneapolis to Wisconsin Dells. It will take around three and a half hours to get there. About one tank of gasoline will do.

You’d research what there is to do at Wisconsin Dells. What are the attractions? There are Duck Boats, waterslides, go-karts, and more. You’d determine what clothes to bring. You’d make a reservation at a hotel. You’d decide when to leave Minneapolis to arrive at your destination, what to do once you get there, and what to bring.

You have a goal, Wisconsin Dells. You make a commitment, marking it on your calendar, or if you work, arranging with the boss to take the time off. Assuming you have a family, your spouse and children are all anticipating the trip. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, your destination is assured.

You are clear in your mind why you have this goal. It’s your vacation. It’s time off from work. It’s a reward, and it will be fun. You anticipate the joy it will bring to your family.

If you should encounter rain on your trip, will you turn back? It is an obstacle. Of course not; you won’t turn back. You have a goal. You are committed to the goal. You understand why you need to achieve that goal. Therefore, you will push on.

To train for something, you need a specific and concrete goal. You need to fully understand why that goal is important. The why will allow you to overcome obstacles. You won’t persist to the end unless you clearly understand why you need to accomplish that goal.

Let’s use another example. You want to run a 5K during the summer. The destination is the finish line. Why do you want to finish? Maybe you need the exercise to lose weight and look better. Maybe you want to lower your blood pressure to avoid medications and save money on future health care. Maybe you want to feel the exultation of completing something you’ve never done before or something you can accomplish all on your own.

It is essential you clearly understand why this goal is important so you can put in the miles training. There are going to be some days you don’t want to run, but if you remind yourself of the why, you can push yourself forward. If you keep the reward in mind and visualize the feeling of crossing the finish line, you will lace up those shoes and go run when you would rather sit on the couch and watch TV.

If you fail to plan, plan to fail. You need to work backward and create a training schedule. How many months until the race? Let’s say it is two months. Maybe you start out running half a mile a day, four days a week, and increase the mileage by a half mile each week until you reach four miles. If you do this, by the day of the race, you will have adequately prepared to reach your goal.

SMART Goals

In this book, we will use the popular SMART goals acronym:

• Specific: clear and unambiguous

• Measurable: can measure your progress

• Achievable: attainable and not impossible

• Realistic: within reach within the time specified

• Timely: includes a starting date and a target date

Using our 5K example, here is our SMART goal: I plan to run a 5K without stopping on July 31 and will begin training on June 1 by running half a mile each day without stopping, four days a week, and increasing the distance by half a mile each week until I can run four miles without stopping by race day.

We’ve just reviewed the minimum plans you would make to reach a vacation goal or a training goal. Doesn’t it make sense to do this for the most important goal in your life, your destination at death? Does it make sense to plan more for a vacation or a 5K run than for your destination at death? No. It doesn’t make sense! In fact, it is absurd. Talk about being penny wise and pound foolish.