The Million Dollars in Heaven
A very wealthy, greedy man fell deeply ill. Knowing his time was short, he spent days praying to God for an exception to the rule. “Lord,” he prayed, “I worked so hard for my wealth. Please let me bring just one suitcase full of my money with me to heaven.”
To his surprise, an angel appeared the next night and said, “God has heard your prayers. Because you have never asked for anything else, you are granted permission to bring one suitcase. But it must fit within the standard luggage size.”
The man was overjoyed. He immediately sold all his properties, converted his entire fortune into solid gold bars, and packed them tightly into a large leather suitcase. A few days later, he p@ssed aw@y and found himself standing at the Pearly Gates of Heaven, holding his heavy suitcase.
Saint Peter looked at him, then looked down at the suitcase and frowned. “Hold on a minute, sir. You can’t bring earthly possessions into heaven. There are strict rules here.”
The man smiled proudly and said, “Check your records, Saint Peter. I have special permission from God Himself.”
Saint Peter checked his ledger, nodded in surprise, and said, “Well, look at that. You do have a permit. However, I am legally required to inspect the contents of your luggage before you enter. Open it up.”
The man happily unzipped the suitcase, revealing the rows of beautiful, shining, solid gold bars.
Saint Peter stared into the suitcase for a long moment, looked up at the man with a look of pure confusion, and asked, “You got special permission from the Almighty Creator of the Universe… just to bring a suitcase full of pavement?”
(Note: In the Bible, the streets of Heaven are said to be paved with pure gold!)
