Since your loved one died have you found yourself thinking about heaven? I have to admit I never thought about it much … until my girl was no longer walking this earth. Once I could no longer see her with my natural eyes my wonder about heaven increased exponentially. Who will I see when I first get to heaven? What will heaven by like? I can only imagine.
Two days before Melanie died as I finished packing my suitcase for vacation, I paused to download a couple of books to my iPad. We were heading to the beach for a few days and as is my normal practice I like to read while vacationing. I purchased 3 books and even as of today, I cannot tell you what prompted me to buy this one particular book, Imagine Heaven, by John Burke.
About three weeks after Melanie ran ahead to heaven I was sitting in my living room feeling totally overwhelmed and in disbelief. It was then that I felt a nudge in my spirit to open my iPad. Once I did, I immediately saw the title, Imagine Heaven staring up at me. This is one of those moments I refer to as Godwinks.
As time has gone by I’ve asked myself numerous times, why did I buy this book? I have no answers. There was nothing specific that prompted me to make this purchase, nor did I have an interest in the things of heaven at that time. But God. He knew I would need to read what was within the pages of this book. It was yet another way for me to know he was there and he had been preparing me all along.
This book has provided some comfort, along with confirmation about what I have previously read about heaven. When we lose a loved one, we long for comfort and peace. I think it’s natural to wonder where our loved one is and what it might be like.
Many years ago, on the night before my mom died as I was getting out of my car to visit her I felt led to grab a CD from the console of my car. My mom had a portable CD player she used when listening to her favorite music. Yes, that’s what we had back in the “old” days! 🙂 The CD was by a band called, Mercy Me. They had recently cut an album with the feature song, I Can Only Imagine. I put one earphone by my momma’s ear and the other one by my own. As I lay my head down next to hers, I played it for her. As the song played she began to move and tried to speak to me. It was a moment I will never forget.
If you haven’t heard this song before I hope you’ll take a moment to listen today. It will touch your heart.
Although heaven is still a place I can only imagine, I often wonder, who will I see when I get there? After seeing Jesus, the one person I want to see more than anyone else is my girl. I cannot wait to wrap my arms around my daughter and tell her how much I’ve missed her. I look forward to seeing my mom and dad, and many other dear ones who have gone on before me. Who do you want to see when you get to heaven?
Knowing I will see my loved ones again one day is what continues to give me peace and comfort. When you have confidence that life on this earth is not the end, it helps to hold on when this grief journey is weighing you down. This is not our home.
If you are struggling today, I encourage you to hold on to this promise – when we get to heaven: “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4)
One day dear friends…
After Jesus, yes my 2 boys, my sister and my Dad. Oh what a glorious day. I can only imagine 💜
@Cheryl, yes my friend, what a glorious day it will be. 💜🫂💜