My oldest son was named Robert Redding McConnell, Jr., or Bo, for short. His favorite Bible passage was 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
When my oldest daughter, Liza, and Bo were small, my wife, Carole, was sharing that verse with them. She talked about how all the Christians were going to come up to see Jesus in the air. Ever since then, that story really excited Bo, and he made up a little song about Jesus coming in the air and the trumpet sounding, and he thought he would actually go up through the trumpet to see Jesus, and he would often sing that song. Well, after my wife told Liza and Bo that story, she explained how to become a Christian. She asked Liza if she was ready to become a Christian and ask Jesus into her heart. Liza said yes, and then she prayed to receive Jesus. Then she asked Bo, and he said, no, he wasn't ready. Several weeks later, my wife had a really bad headache, and was lying down on our blue couch, and Bo came and knelt down beside her, and prayed a beautiful prayer that God would heal her. Carole said, "That was a beautiful prayer, Bo. Where did you learn to pray that way?" He said, "I've asked Jesus into my heart."
For the next two weeks, he was a completely different little boy. He was a delightful kid to be around, instead of the little rascal he'd been before. The night before I was going to interview for a teaching job at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, Bo got out his Mom's good red Bible, and scribbled in it with a red ink pen. Of course we spanked him for being naughty, but he just cried and cried, for the longest time, before he settled down. The next day, I took off on my interview trip to Pennsylvania. While I was gone, Bo was killed in a car wreck. We were both sad at losing Bo, but happy, because he was a Christian, and got to go to heaven. We looked in that red Bible, and saw he had marked up Psalm 26:6-12.
"I will wash my hands in innocence: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD."
I can't describe the peace and joy that gave us when we saw the red scribble marks Bo had made next to those exact words. It was like he was writing a comforting note to us, to let us know that he was going to be okay in heaven. That horrible, yet wonderful, event happened April 18, 1973, which was the Wednesday before Easter, that year. So every Wednesday before Easter every year is a special day for me. I so look forward to the time when I can finally go to see Jesus, and Bo, in the air.
