Devotional

"Do not be worried and upset," Jesus told them. "Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am."

We have recently had the very sad experience of losing my mother-in- law. She was a lovely, dedicated, and gracious woman, and her loss has left a void in the lives of her children, grandchildren, and all who knew and loved her. The pain is significant and it has caused me to wonder how those without a future and a hope manage in times such as these. To compound matters, my father-in-law is also quite ill, and not expected to live much longer. I usually don't put much stock in dreams and visions. Nevertheless, my sister-in-law and my aunt recently had similar dreams. In both cases, my mother-in-law informed my family that she had come to collect her husband! Dreams such as these shouldn't surprise us. Instead, they should be the norm for those who believe and should serve as a reminder that we are simply passing through this life on earth. In (1 Samuel 28:15-19), Samuel, who has died, has a conversation with Saul. Samuel is disturbed not only by Saul's disobedience to the Lord, but also that he has even been contacted by Saul. Samuel, it seems, existed outside of our concept of time and space. Wise men have spoken of this life as though it were a room in which a bird flies in through one window and then out again through another. We are not meant to remain here, but only to learn, to manifest God's glory, and to return to him again. Heaven is a real place in which we will be reunited with those who have gone before us. There is a place prepared for us where we shall dwell with the Lord forever. May we live our lives in such a way that what remains when we depart is the sweet fragrance of his grace and a lingering sensation of his overflowing love.