Little Do They Know

My family laid my body to rest today
Little do they know
My soul will never find rest

I spent months fighting this wretched disease
On my death bed
Suffering day and night

They couldn’t take it any longer
Eventually they prayed
That I would suffer no more

They whispered in my ear
It’s okay, you can let go now
You are going to a better place

Little did they know
Where I would spend eternity
Now my soul will never find rest

I was never too religious
Thought that Jesus’ claim as being the only way to salvation
Absurd and narrow minded

Surely all roads lead to heaven, don’t they?
I was a good person, not perfect, but good in comparison to others
Don’t all my good works count for something?

Well, I was wrong, dead wrong
Not that it makes any difference
But I’m a believer now

If only I could send someone to warn them
Repent!  Receive Christ for the forgiveness of your sins
Lest you suffer the same fate as me

Susan Bunts Wachtel
July 18, 2011

I had started this poem on July 16, 2010, but finished it a year later.

How many times have you heard people say when a loved one has died, “Well at least they are not suffering anymore.”  While those words are meant to bring comfort, as Christians we know the truth that when an unbeliever dies their suffering has just begun and will last for eternity. 

May we be unapologetic and bold in sharing the Gospel message so that our family, friends, co-workers and even strangers may have the assurance that their sins have been forgiven and that they will be in heaven for eternity, not suffering in hell.

Making Merry with the Devil

Deception reporting for duty
Greetings most vile and evil one
 
I have a grand report of success
As I strive to blind men to the realities of hell
 
I start with their natural sinful tendency
Encourage them to focus on self
 
Soon they forget about God and that one day
They will give an account to Him
 
I direct their thoughts
“Eat, drink and be merry”
 
Blind them to the warning
“For tomorrow you will die”
 
Before long the devil is innocuous
Someone to be laughed at and make merry with
 
Nothing but a comical character
Wearing red tights and carrying a pitch fork
 
The inescapable realities of judgment fade away
Hell is now seen as place of eternal partying with friends

They will never know until it’s too late
The painful, eternal reality of hell
 
By Susan Bunts Wachtel
August 9, 2010

Divine Appointment

Over 150,000 people
Had a divine appointment today
Nameless and faceless to most
But each is known by God
The One to Whom we must give an account

The date of that divine appointment
Was set long before we took our first breath
The One who formed us in our mother’s womb
Measured our days and scheduled the appointment
The day and the hour when we will take our last breath

In the Bible
God counsels us
To number our days
He warns us that it is appointed for man to die once
Then comes judgment

There are no second chances
There are no mulligans to be claimed
Though all will stand before God one day
Not all paths will end in heaven
For some another place has been reserved

For those who have rejected God
All of their days
Those who have worshipped a god
Of their own making
They will spend eternity separated from God’s presence

And such were some of us
Until the Son of Man
Set us free
From the bondage of sin and death
He put us on the narrow path

We found there is but One Way to salvation
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
If you confess with your mouth
And believe with your heart
You will be saved!


Susan Bunts Wachtel
June 26, 2009


When the news came yesterday of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett’s deaths…it was kind of shocking. Both were famous people whose careers were at their heights in my younger days…and today they are dead.

It was interesting hearing and reading people’s comments. Some were shocked by Jackson’s sudden death at a young age. Some were upset that most of the press coverage was devoted to Michael Jackson with nary a word about Farrah Fawcett or Ed McMahon’s deaths.

When I read the words, “Two people died today, not just one” I wanted to shout, “No…thousands and thousands of people died today!”

Most of them…you will never know. But their family and friends will shed tears and grieve their loss. Not because they were famous, rich, beautiful or talented…but because they were loved. How many of them died without accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? How many people had a divine appointment that they didn’t anticipate or plan for? How many will be separated from God for eternity in hell?”

As horrible as cancer is…at least Farrah Fawcett had time to prepare herself, to make peace with God if she so desired. On the other hand…Michael Jackson’s death was sudden and unexpected. I’ll bet he didn’t wake up thinking, “I may be dead before the day is over.” It was probably a day like any other.

But God had a divine appointment in store…as He does for each one of us.

Are you ready for your divine appointment?