See You Tomorrow

I kissed Otto’s cold forehead and whispered, “I’ll see you tomorrow,” as my eyes brimmed with tears and I backed away. I knew I’d never set eyes on my beloved father-in-law again on earth, but those words spilled out from my soul nevertheless. My adult children by my side, we casually steadied each other as the three of us walked away from his coffin and took our seats with the rest of the family.

Later that evening, my son asked, “Mom, why did you say you’d see him tomorrow?”

“I think that’s how it will seem to him in heaven,” I said. “Like he won’t even feel he’s been there very long when I see him again–like maybe a day. Time’s different there.”

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day (2 Peter 3:8 NLT).

Time’s a mysterious companion. Now that I’m eligible for senior discounts, I look back over the years and wonder, how did I get this old so fast? But I also remember being a young teen who felt it was taking forever to get old enough to get a driver’s license. We celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, counting the years as they pass by. And when people we cherish die, time becomes a rude reminder of how much we miss them. Mourning makes for long, slow days.

However, our deceased loved ones who loved the Lord God are celebrating being in the presence of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel—God with Us (literally), where time has no place. Imagine that! Because existence is in a different form and on a different continuum, there’s no concept of time.

I don’t pretend to know exactly how this will feel or how our afterlives will play out on heaven’s lack of a timetable. But I do know we are promised a glorious eternity. We will be in the light of God’s glory and Jesus has prepared a place for us.

Picture yourself in heaven. There’s no night, no darkness. You are distinguishable as you, but you have a different body, not capable of death or disease. People you knew on earth know you in heaven. Your surroundings are out of this world – streets paved with gold and gates made of huge pearls. You might not know when you got there or when anyone else got there. You’re just glad to be there. An angel brings messages every now and then telling you what you need to do. Then, perhaps in the midst of your typical activities, I imagine you might get the message to go to the front gate to greet another person you love whose eternity in heaven is just beginning. What incredible joy! A much different picture than what's happening on earth.

Possibly, I’ve used too much imagination in connecting the dots about life in heaven. Surely, the most wonderful joy of the afterlife will be living in the presence of God, serving Him, worshipping Him, and living in a new world without sin and death. But the older I get, the more people I’m looking forward to seeing when I get there. Their reservations were ahead of mine.

When it’s time for me to go, I want all of my family and friends to be so sure of their final destination that they can kiss my earthly body’s forehead and whisper, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” In fact, I hope I don’t have to leave before getting that assurance in my soul.

Father, You know our sorrows. We ask You to give us a glimpse of heaven when we say goodbye to people we love here on earth and use it to comfort our souls.

Bible References on heaven:

• Streets of gold and pearly gates - Revelation 21:21
• Be in the light of God’s glory - Revelation 21:23-25
• Daytime all the time - Revelation 21:23-25
• Jesus prepares a place for us - John 14:3
• Bodies will not suffer death or disease - Revelation 21:4
• Imperishable bodies - 1 Corinthians 15:53
• Recognizable as you - Matthew 17:3-4
• Angel messengers in heaven - Revelation 19:9
• No sin or death in heaven - Revelation 21:27 and Revelation 21:4

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.