I have a joke for you.

There was a rich man who passed away. When an angel came to take his soul to Heaven, the rich man asked the angel, “I have worked very hard to build my fortune. Can I please bring some of my things with me?” The angel looked uncertain and said, “Well, that’s not usually something we do. But if it’s that important to you, I suppose you can bring one suitcase with whatever you can put in it.” The man thanked him and immediately began filling a suitcase with bars of gold he had stashed away in a safe. After a minute the man closed and latched the suitcase and said, “Ok, I’m ready,” and they departed for heaven.

St. Peter was manning the check in desk at the Pearly Gate. When he saw the man with the suitcase he said “Whoa, what have you got there?” The rich man explained that he had been allowed to bring a suitcase filled with whatever he could put in it. St. Peter replied, “Well, I guess that’s alright. Let’s have a look and see what you brought.” The man proudly hefted the suitcase onto the desk, spun it around, and popped the latches. St. Peter lifted the lid and said “Oh, good! You brought some pavement.”

I think there is a reason that you never see a hearse with a U-Haul. Not just because we can’t actually take our stuff with us. But because compared to the wonders of heaven, who would want to take their stuff with them?

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

The Bible says that we can’t even imagine how wonderful heaven will be. There is no need for us to bring our possessions with us. So instead of focusing on the things of this world that we will leave behind, let’s focus on the people that we can take with us.