Grief and Heaven

"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT

I got this off a website of a woman who lost her six year old son in June. She constantly amazes me how strong in her faith she is. She was talking about how much she looks forward to Heaven now, knowing that he is there. I also watched the Terri Irwin interview last night and her faith touched me also. She was saying that she knows that Steve's death happened for a reason and she knows she will see him again.

How bittersweet is death when you are a Christian? How can you grieve when you know that your loved one is in a place where there is no tears, no pain; only joy and thanksgiving? How can you survive if you don't have that comfort? How can you say goodbye to your child or your husband and believe that the connection you had is gone and they will only live in your memories?

My grandpa told me once that every time he would go see his mom, she'd say, "Foy, is that you?" and he said that he knows that when he gets to Heaven, he's gonna hear, "Foy, is that you?" How can you not rejoice when you hear that? I have a child that I know is being taken care of by Chad's dad in Heaven and I know that one day, I'll get to see her and meet her. (I don't know if she was a girl or not, we lost her too young, but in my heart I know.) Of course, I'll get to meet him too!

I don't mean this entry to be sad, I want you to read it and rejoice. I want you to know that death to God is not bad, it's when He gets to bring you home. Just think how happy you are when it's been a while since you've seen a loved one, that's the way it's gonna be for us. I think the reason we are on this Earth is to decide whether or not we're gonna follow God and then we get to celebrate for all of Eternity if we make that choice.