The Room 17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class.

The subject was what Heaven was li e. !" wowed #em$! he later told his father$ Bruce. !"t#s a iller. "t#s the bomb. "t#s the best thing " ever wrote.! "t also was the last. Brian#s %arents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while cleaning out the teenager#s loc er at Teary &alley High 'chool. Brian had been dead only hours$ but his %arents des%erately wanted every %iece of his life near them- notes from classmates and teachers$ his homewor . (nly two months before$ he had handwritten the essay about encountering )esus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen#s life. But it was only after Brian#s death that Beth and Bruce Moore reali*ed that their son had described his view of heaven. !"t ma es such an im%act that %eo%le want to share it. +ou feel li e you are there.! Mr. Moore said. Brian Moore died May ,7$ 1--7$ the day after Memorial .ay. He was driving home from a friend#s house when his car went off Bulen-/ierce Road in /ic away 0ounty and struc a utility %ole. He emerged from the wrec unharmed$ but ste%%ed on a downed %ower line and was electrocuted. The Moores framed a co%y of Brian#s essay and hung it among the family %ortraits in the living room. !" thin 1od used him to ma e a %oint. " thin we were meant to find it and ma e something out of it$! Mrs. Moore said of the essay. 'he and her husband want to share their son#s vision of life after death... Brian#s 2ssay3 The Room... "n that %lace between wa efulness and dreams$ " found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features e4ce%t for the one wall covered with small inde4 card files. They were li e the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in al%habetical order. But these files$ which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either direction$ had very different headings. 5s " drew near the wall of files$ the first to catch my attention was one that read !1irls " have li ed.! " o%ened it and began fli%%ing through the cards. " 6uic ly shut it$ shoc ed to reali*e that " recogni*ed the names written on each one. 5nd then without being told$ " new e4actly where " was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment$ big and small$ in detail my memory couldn#t match. 5 sense of wonder and curiosity$ cou%led with horror$ stirred within me as " began randomly o%ening files and e4%loring their content. 'ome brought joy and sweet memories7 others a sense of shame and regret so intense that " would loo over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. 5 file named !8riends! was ne4t to one-mar ed$ !8riends " have betrayed.! The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. !Boo s " Have Read$! !9ies " Have Told$! !0omfort " have 1iven$! !)o es " Have 9aughed 5t.! 'ome were almost hilarious in their e4actness3 !Things "#ve +elled 5t My Brothers.! (thers " couldn#t laugh at3 !Things " Have .one in My 5nger$! !Things " Have Muttered :nder My Breath at My /arents.! " never ceased to be sur%rised by the contents. (ften there were many more cards than " e4%ected. 'ometimes fewer than " ho%ed. " was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life " had lived. 0ould it be %ossible that " had the time in my years to fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards; But each card confirmed this truth. 2ach was written in my own handwriting. 2ach signed with my signature. <hen " %ulled out the file mar ed !T& 'hows " have watched$! " reali*ed the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were %ac ed tightly$ and yet after two or three yards$ " hadn#t found the end of the file. " shut it$ shamed$ not so much by the 6uality of shows but more by the vast time " new that file re%resented. <hen " came to a file mar ed !9ustful Thoughts$! " felt a chill run through my body. " %ulled the file out only an inch$ not willing to test its si*e$ and drew out a card. " shuddered at its detailed content. " felt sic to thin that such a moment had been recorded. 5n almost animal rage bro e on me. (ne thought dominated my mind3 =o one must ever see these cards> =o one must ever see this room> " have to destroy them>! "n insane fren*y " yan ed the file out. "ts si*e didn#t matter now. " had to em%ty it and burn the cards. But as " too it at one end and began %ounding it on the floor$ " could not dislodge a single card. " became des%erate and %ulled out a card$ only to find it as strong as steel when " tried to tear it. .efeated and utterly hel%less$ " returned the file to its slot.

9eaning my forehead against the wall$ " let out a long$ self-%itying sigh. 5nd then " saw it. The title bore !/eo%le " Have 'hared the 1os%el <ith.! The handle was brighter than those around it$ newer$ almost unused. " %ulled on its handle and a small bo4 not more than three inches long fell into my hands. " could count the cards it contained on one hand. 5nd then the tears came. " began to wee%. 'obs so dee% that they hurt. They started in my stomach and shoo through me. " fell on my nees and cried. " cried out of shame$ from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. =o one must ever$ ever now of this room. " must loc it u% and hide the ey. But then as " %ushed away the tears$ " saw Him. =o$ %lease not Him. =ot here. (h$ anyone but )esus. " watched hel%lessly as He began to o%en the files and read the cards. " couldn#t bear to watch His res%onse. 5nd in the moments " could bring myself to loo at His face$ " saw a sorrow dee%er than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst bo4es. <hy did He have to read every one; 8inally$ He turned and loo ed at me from across the room. He loo ed at me with %ity in His eyes. But this was a %ity that didn#t anger me. " dro%%ed my head$ covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He wal ed over and %ut His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn#t say a word. He just cried with me. Then He got u% and wal ed bac to the wall of files. 'tarting at one end of the room$ He too out a file and$ one by one$ began to sign His name over mine on each card. !=o>! " shouted rushing to Him. 5ll " could find to say was !=o$ no$! as " %ulled a card from Him. His name shouldn#t be on these cards. But there it was$ written in red so rich$ so dar $ and so alive. The name of )esus covered mine. "t was written with His blood. He gently too the card bac . He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. " don#t thin "#ll ever understand how He did it so 6uic ly$ but the ne4t instant it seemed " heard Him close the last file and wal bac to my side. He %laced His hand on my shoulder and said$ !"t is finished.! " stood u%$ and He led me out of the room. There was no loc on its door. There were still cards to be written. ------------------------!" can do all things through 0hrist who strengthens me.!- /hil. ?31@ !8or 1od so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son$ that whoever believes in Him shall not %erish but have eternal life.! "f you feel the same as " do$ forward this to as many %eo%le as you can so the love of )esus will touch their lives also. My !/eo%le " 'hared the 1os%el <ith! file just got bigger$ how about yours; "8 TH2R2 "' (=2 2M5"9 TH5T " H5&2 R25. TH5T =22.' T( 1( 5R(:=. TH2 <(R9.$ "T "' TH"' (=2. /925'2 /5'' TH"' T( 2&2R+(=2 +(: A=(<$ 0HR"'T"5= (R =(T> 92T#' 8"99 (:R (<= !8"92 05R.!$ 5=. M5+ 1(. B92'' +(: 599> +ou don#t have to share this with anybody. =o one will now whether you did or not$ but you will now and so will He.