Unveiled
Hope
Brothers, we do
not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or
to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:13
Mary Jane Phillips lay in a bed in her
daughter’s kitchen, in the final stages of what appeared to be
cancer. As her daughter cared for her, she sat up in bed and said,
“Oh, my! There’s Mrs. Leonard!”
Everyone present was amazed as she
named off several dead relatives and long-gone friends. It appeared
as if Mary Jane was being given a view through the portals of Heaven.
She continued to name people who were long-forgotten, even people who
had passed away recently. And then, she said, “And Mrs. Sader,
too!” at which point the family figured she must be hallucinating,
because Mrs. Sader was very much alive. They had just spoken to her
that morning.
Just then, the telephone rang and one
of the girls answered it. A startled look crossed her face. As she
hung up the phone, she announced in an astonished voice, “Mrs.
Sader passed away just a little while ago!”
Only minutes later, Mary Jane Phillips
joined Mrs. Sader as she met Jesus face-to-face.
†
This event changed my mother’s life,
for having listened to her Grandmother speak so candidly about Heaven
brought the certainty of its truth to her heart and spirit. She has
never known a fear of dying because Grandma Phillips had unveiled the
mystery of death to a six-year-old that day.
In this same way Paul wants us to know
the hope he professes; that on the day God calls us home we will be
greeted by our loved-ones and friends as we enter Heaven to be with
Jesus.
Prayer
“Give me the certainty
of my true home, Lord, and take away any vestiges of fear of death.
Speak to my spirit of the reality of Heaven. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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