There’s a story about a wealthy man who could not conceive of a life without money. As death approached he had a vision of an angel who told him he could only take with him whatever he could fit into one suitcase. So the man thought about what would provide the greatest value and decided to fill it with gold bars. When he reached the pearly gates St Peter opened the suitcase to see what he’d chosen and said, “I don’t believe it! All you brought was paving stones?” and then ushered him through to the fabled streets of gold.
Well it may be a humorous story, but it contains a powerful message: the things we often think are the most valuable in this world will have no value in the next. All that we’ll take with us is what we are, and the quality of our faith, our hope and our love.