I have always wanted to be a good sheep, a loyal follower of Jesus. For just about as long as I can remember, I have loved the guy. I started attending Sunday school at our local Baptist church with my family when I was three-years-old. From the very beginning, I wanted to please God. Also, from the very beginning, God was sometimes a little scary. I remember an early Sunday school lesson about the “age of accountability.” Our teacher taught us about a passage from the Old Testament which explained that there was a specific age when children were old enough to be responsible for their own standing before God. If they died before they reached that age, they  automatically would go to heaven. But if they died even a few days after that, and they weren’t right with God, then things would not go so well for them.

I don’t remember what that actual accountability age was. I’m guessing 8 or 9? I just remember sitting on my little chair in front of my teacher, and thinking about how old I was, and wondering if it might not be so bad to die soon, because then I would be assured an automatic passage into heaven. And heaven was my goal. Always, that was my goal. Because the alternative? Not so pleasant. Continue Reading…