“Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven—.” (Lord’s Prayer)
The billionaire owner of the huge hotel chain with her husband’s name, Leona Helmsley, died and left a controversial will. In it she provided nothing for two of her grandchildren, twelve million dollars for the care of her pet dog, and three million for the maintenance of the mausoleum for her remains. Her ego and strength of character were legendary, as was her comment that only poor people pay taxes. The media are delirious with excitement as they wallow in the muddle of such eccentricity. Ms. Helmsley’s will imposes her will on her domain and assets even when she is no longer alive to enforce her power on earth. But what of the life beyond?
Throughout the sacred gospels we find our Lord Jesus urging us to consider life beyond this lifetime. He is preparing us for His Father’s kingdom by teaching us what sort of attitude we must have if we are to thrive on the other side. When the disciples asked Him to do as other rabbis and give them a prayer to offer up to the Almighty, He placed in the center the phrase we all know by heart: “Thy [God’s] will be done” even while we are here on earth. Heaven will have no conflict of wills. “I Did it My Way” is not a song for Christians.
We have a lifetime of struggle within ourselves. It’s never a simple thing to surrender to God’s will. Something as instinctive as Adam’s challenge to God’s authority wells up in us from infancy. Many call it natural—and it is, because we have fallen from initial grace of surrender to God and chose rebellion. Leona Helmsley is but a recent and famous case of selfishness, fanned by her lust for attention encouraged by the media. What now? On the other side, is she in Heaven or Hades? She did it her way. Who can imagine her refuting that pattern of living even in the face of the Almighty. That’s the American spirit. We celebrate those who stand up to authority of all types and assert themselves.
Few if any of us will ever have the money and means of Leona Helmsley to put others down and assert their wills regardless of whom we harm, insult or humiliate. But is it not a matter of degree? What’s the difference, for example, when a penniless woman in a nursing home holds a grudge against a member of the family or anyone whom she felt had injured her, then goes to her grave intransigent and unforgiving? If she passes from this lifetime with such anger, resentment or ill will in her soul, is she not resisting the Lord’s will as much as Ms. Helmsley?
And how are we to do God’s will? Jesus our Lord tells us: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44).
Christ Jesus expects quite a lot for us—but yet He promises us even more. He offers us the impossible. “Dust you are, and to dust you return” are the last words recited over our coffins. And this dust once contained a soul that goes on ahead to meet the Lord. He, the Creator of heaven and earth presents us with an inconceivable gift—to become like God. The condition is to offer Him our wills, realizing that the Lord knows far better than we what is in our best interests. It’s an awesome decision we go on making hourly throughout the brief time we have on earth. And what we decide makes all the difference on earth—and in heaven.