Category: Heaven

Heaven is Real 

by C.C. Hasty, posted in Blessed, God Is Good, Heaven, Prayer, Uncategorized, Wheelchair

I was reminded this week of how thankful I am to live in the Bible Belt. When I tell people of Jackson’s visit to heaven, no one laughs at me, ridicules me, or mocks me. The typical  response I receive when telling people about Jackson’s trip to heaven is complete and absolute acceptance. People are excited to hear his story. Almost every single time the listener will comment, “I believe it beyond a shadow of a doubt.” 

I am sure at some point that may not be the case. I am prepared for someone to say that it was simply a dream. Possibly a hallucination. There is no way he went to heaven and came back again. And that is perfectly okay. It isn’t my job to force people to believe or to convince them that it is true. It is my task to simply be the voice of our story and share it with others. 

I remember saying to everyone who would listen shortly after the accident that Jackson had an experience in heaven. How did I know? Simple. You could feel it everytime you walked into his room in the NICU at the hospital. The minute you were in his presence, a feeling of peace and calm would wash over you. There were times I would just sit in his room to find the quite and stillness that my soul longed for. 

It would be almost 3 months before he would casually mention it for the first time during one of our daily walks from the hospital cafeteria at Scottish Rite. To him, it wasn’t a big deal. He is only 7 years old, and simply doesn’t understand how rare his experience was. I chose early on to never ask him about it. I only listened. It would be another 6 months before he would ever mention it again. I thankfully had the presence of mind to record that conversation. I wanted to be able to show anyone who ever doubted that this was coming from him and him alone. I didn’t put ideas in his head or lead him to answers. 

The most recent and final conversation was during the week of the 1 year anniversary of the accident. He explained the process of dying as being instantaneous. You simply close your eyes and wake up in heaven. He shared with me that Jesus gave him the power to walk on the clouds because he didn’t have wings like everyone else. He told me about seeing the gates made of gold (I later showed him pictures of heavens gates and he picked out the one made of pearls. I assume he didn’t know that pearls would shine too). He told me that everyone there was middle aged. There was no pain, no fear, or sadness in heaven. He explained that since his name wasn’t written in the Book of Life, he had to come back to earth. But that was okay because he didn’t want to leave his family. He excitedly told me that the last time he remembers walking is walking in heaven with Jesus. 

The things he has shared with me are biblical. You could say he got the idea of clouds and Jesus from church. He only attended church a couple of times prior to the accident, and I assure you they didn’t talk about the Book of Life, or what age people would be in heaven. He simply knows too much that is verified by the the Word to be a coincidence, a dream or a hallucination. 

To this day, people ask me how he handles being paralyzed. They are amazed when I tell them that he is the happiest kid I have ever known. His smile brightens up any room. His laughter is like a balm to your soul. I believe with everything that is in me it is because he was in the presence of Jesus and he brought some of heaven back with him. 

I share Jacksons story because if anyone has ever doubted if there is a God or if heaven exists, you don’t have to anymore. Heaven is real and most importantly, God is real. If you have lost someone you love, one day you WILL see them again. You are never alone. God is ready to engulf you with His grace and mercy. He wants to wrap you up in His loving embrace. All you have to do is let Him in. 

I ask all of my readers to share this with your family and friends. Maybe you already believe, but perhaps someone close to you is struggling to and this may be the final thing they need to accept Jesus into their heart. Let’s get the word out there! Yes, heaven is real! 

Love & blessings, 

C.C. 

Be that Person 

by C.C. Hasty, posted in Blessed, God Is Good, Heaven, Prayer, Uncategorized, Wheelchair

When I was a little girl, a woman came by our apartment in the projects of downtown Nashville to invite me to church. She told me about all of the fun things the youth did at church and promised to come get me on the bus every Sunday. And she did. Her name was Lana Banana (although I am sure that wasn’t her real name). I loved going to church where I learned about Jesus and His love for me. It was something to look forward to every week, and she gave me candy every time I walked onto that bus. 

A couple of years later, the owner at a furniture store that we broke down in front of told me about Jesus and I told him I went to church on Sunday’s. He gave me a stuffed doll that I cherished and invited me to visit his church. I told him I would, but I was maybe 8 years old and didn’t have a way to get there. It was the first promise I ever remember breaking. It hurt to break that promise and I learned going forward to never again promise something that I couldn’t do.  He told me I was special and was going to do great things in life. No one had ever told me this, and I believed him. 

A few years later we moved from Nashville to Shelbyville. My great uncle Chuck came to visit and invited me to church with him. He picked me up every single Sunday. He paid for me to go to church camp when I was 13 years old, where I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. 

Why did I share this? Because it was those people who helped lead me to salvation. Not 1 person. Not 1 experience. But several. Lana Banana, the driver of that church bus who came to the roughest projects in Nashville didn’t know that I was ultimately saved. The owner of that furniture store couldn’t have realized how special that doll was to me or the words of life he spoke into me. My uncle Chuck couldn’t realize that by sowing the money to send me to church camp it would ultimately lead me to the cross and salvation.   

I’m not sure if I have ever been instrumental in someone’s journey to become saved. I hope that I have been. And I hope that all who read this are reminded that every time you share Jesus with someone, speak words of life and encouragement into someone, or sow financially into ministry, you too may have been one of the people God used to help someone eventually reach salvation, without even knowing it. 

Love & blessings, 

C.C. 

Let God Bless You

by C.C. Hasty, posted in Blessed, Dreams, God Is Good, Heaven, Prayer, Uncategorized, Wheelchair

Today, Pastor Randy of Life Restoration Church sent me a Facebook message inviting me to church service this morning. I immediately replied that I couldn’t come because I was moving my store. His response? “If you come this morning, I will send a team of young men to help you move today. And you can come to church, and get filled up by the Holy Spirit, get a word from the Lord, and get some help at your store today.” I immediately replied, Deal! Not because I expected anyone to help, but I figured that if he was that willing to get me to church, then God obviously had a word for me that I needed to hear.

When our lives are falling apart, church should be the first place we run. Me? I am hard-headed to the core. I try micro-managing every thing by myself. I become a doer. I think that if I work hard enough I can fix it myself. Of course I never do, and everything continues to fall down around me until I finally have to hand it over to God. Which I should have done from the beginning.

Growing up, I had to be tough. I learned to be independent and strong. It has gotten me through a lot of trials, but it has also been one of my biggest flaws. I don’t know how to ask for help. I just do it myself. Now ask me if I do it quietly or without anger? Nope, my feelings get hurt because people I love don’t want to help me. My anger just pushes me forward until yes, the job is done, but I am one bitter person. Did I mention I can hold a grudge? Like, forever? It is another one of those flaws I am working on.

After church, Pastor Randy messaged me and said, “Hey! I got about 10 men ready here!! Where are you?” I explained that he really didn’t have to help, I came because I knew God had a word for me. And he said, “You HAVE to let God bless you!!” Isn’t it amazing how God wants to bless us, but we are the ones in His way stopping Him? He was right, and I knew it. God can’t bless me when I won’t let Him.

Why is it so hard to hand things over to Him? I wish I could tell all you that almost losing my boys brought me to a place of total trust and faith. I am and always will be a work in progress. Did I mention that the message today was about faith? One of the things Pastor Randy said was exactly what I needed to hear, “The harder the thing is that you have to go through, the more magnificent your testimony.” God knew I needed the reminder. I needed to hear the words. Immediately after the accident God told me that He had a plan and a purpose for this happening. I held on to that Word and it helped get me through one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I knew then that what our boys were going through was for His testimony.

Someone reminded me this week that God is using me for His purpose. My story and my voice has helped others, and continues to do so. It seems like my dream of Vintage is ending, but God has bigger plans in the works. And that when you use your voice to give God the praise, the devil comes in to try to steal it. I refuse to shut up. I have said it from the beginning, and I still say it. God has done too much for my family to not get the praise He deserves.

Not just 10 young guys come to help, it was more like 20. They had trucks and they were ready to work! I had spent 4 days packing and moving what I could in the back of my Tahoe, and barely made a dent. What would have taken myself and Heather (who has been so good to me and agreed to stay to help me until the very end) 2 weeks to do took them a few hours. They literally moved my entire store with me. I cannot begin to express my gratitude.

While I was watching them fellowship with one another and moving furniture, God reminded me that what I was witnessing was church. Church is belonging to a family that loves one another. Belonging to a family of believers that loves people that they don’t even know. These people didn’t have to spend their Sunday afternoon in the sweltering heat to help someone they have barely met move. Yet they did, full of love and with no questions asked. They loved on me and encouraged me the entire time. And God did I need it! At the end of the day, they prayed with my husband and I. This group of young men are what church is all about. If you don’t have a church family, I highly recommend Life Restoration Church.

As I showed them the car that the boys were in the accident in so that they could see why we were having to close my store and move furniture, God reminded me too. My heart aches because I had to give up my dream, but I must have faith and trust in God that this isn’t the end. Our journey isn’t over. We still have a long way to go. We have had to make many sacrifices as a family, and I am sure there will be more to make in the future.

Do I wish that our lives were back to “normal”? Absolutely. Would I love to be without all of the stress I have endured for the last 10 months? You bet I would! But I also would have missed out on all of the good things that has come from the accident: Hearing Jackson talk about his trip to heaven. Watching God work miracles time after time. Learning to let go and allowing Him to bless me. Hearing from people who’s lives have forever more been changed because of our boys story. And having a group of young men show up to not only help me move, but to love on me when I needed it the most and to remind me that I should have handed it over to God from the very beginning.

Love and blessings,

C.C.