Just home from attending a funeral. The husband’s death was quite sudden and the wife’s life upended. Both my friend and her husband are Christians and though this was a shock, comfort enveloped the family knowing their husband and father was already in the arms of His Lord.

The pastor who was offering a brief talk at the funeral home quoted several applicable scriptures of comfort and reminded the friends who attended that our presence, in fact, was a comfort to the family.  He went on to describe what he believed to be “arrival” in heaven, based on the scriptures he quoted.  Old bodies, diseased-ridden bodies, those with misshaped limbs and deformities, would arrive in PERFECT bodies, to see the gates of pearl and mansions of beauty that await us.

Two true stories resonated with his reminder. My great, great aunt had measles as a young child and it crippled her for life. Her limp and leg deformity were quite noticeable.  My grandmother was with her as she took her last breath. Nana shared this story often, as Aunt Kate drew her final breath, her damaged leg, straighten out completely to a perfect length and shape. My grandmother explained to us, this was Kate’s arrival in heaven.

My young husband became ½ of his previous self, due to cancer and his treatments. He appeared so frail.  The morning after he passed away, my 14-year-old son came to me asking me if he shared something with me would I think he was “crazy.” He said, in the middle of the night, his then deceased dad appeared in his bedroom doorway.  (I was already tearing up.)  “Mom,” my son said, “Dad was smiling at me, looking healthy, and just great!”  I believe we are loved so unconditionally that both of these stories are not figments of imagination but instead gifts from our loving Father! How blessed that we will live with our Father in Heaven for eternity and with perfect bodies and all our tears washed away. Amen!

Jill