YEARS ago, we watched our five-year-old son lose his fight for life. That loss still leaves a permanent void in my life. I faced a double portion of grief as I thought of telling our six-year-old daughter that her brother had died and was now in heaven. We chose to tell her in a beautiful spot on a hilltop in a secluded rural area. She seemed pleased with the knowledge that Danny was no longer ill but in heaven. She looked up at the sky and asked, "Is he in the blue part or the white part?"

Much time has passed, but I often reflect on my conversation with my daughter that day. Jesus spoke of God's providing room in heaven for all who believe.

Assurance of our final home is found in Jesus' words: "I am going there to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). Now I understand that Jesus may not have been speaking of a physical place at all but of something more meaningful: a promise that where he is, we will be also.

Don Wallace (Arkansas, USA)

Prayer
Dear God, help us to trust Christ's promise of an eternity where we are held within your love. Amen.

Prayer Focus
Parents whose child has died