Heaven Is a Real Place

Every time I would visit my grandmother on my dad’s side of the family, I would hear stories about heaven. My dad’s dad died when he was a young teenager and my grandmother never remarried. She was a woman of unshakeable faith and fully believed that Everett, her preacher husband, was in Heaven with his Lord and Savior. Whenever my grandmother and I would be talk about faith and God things, she would always…and I mean always…get around to the subject of heaven. Her consistent statement was, “I got kinfolk over there, ya know. My Everett is there and one day I will see him again.” When Granny Burton talked about heaven she made it sound so real that it felt like it was a place you could get in your car and drive to.

When Granny passed away I had the incredible honor of offering the eulogy at her funeral. I did the typical opener and described things that I could remember as kid. Things like sharing her hot tea with coffee mate in it (to this day I still drink hot tea with coffee mate in it), eating her Ayds appetite-suppressant diet candies like they were real candy because they tasted so good, helping her draw water from her well and then sharing an ice-cold drink from the ladle with her, and the warmth of the wood stove she had in her living room. But the main thing I shared with family and friends at Granny’s funeral is the legacy of faith that I believe she gave me.

I have never had any significant doubts about whether God exists and is real. I know of some believers who go through periods of doubt but I have not experienced faith-shaking doubts about whether God is real. I firmly believe in a God Who is the Creator of the universe as described in the Holy Bible. I firmly believe in the Son of God being born a human and dying on a cross to save me from my sins. And I firmly believe in Heaven, a place where believers go to live forever when their body experiences physical death. I am confident that I received this legacy of faith from my grandmother who believed it with all her heart and soul and who talked about it with me.

What about you? Have you been privileged to have a family member demonstrate an unshakeable faith in God and a place called Heaven? Or are you the one to be a faith pioneer in your family and demonstrate that faith to others? How real is Heaven to you? Is Heaven a new home you are looking forward to moving into and sharing with God for eternity? Or do you not think about it all?

I readily admit that I am not in any desire to leave earth any sooner than what's necessary, yet I am looking forward to the day when I will see Jesus, my Lord and Savior face to face. I am looking forward to the day when I will see my Granny Burton again and meet my Grandpa Everett who died before my parents even met. I know of other believers who have died and I look forward to seeing them again when it’s my turn to move into heaven. My grandmother gave me the example of living a life that looks forward to the next life and I am thankful to God for giving me such a spiritual example. I pray that I can serve as an example and leave a legacy of faith to others so that I can end up in heaven with as many people who have shared life on earth with me as is possible.

Is Heaven so real to you that if feels like you could get in a car and drive there? What kind of legacy of faith are you leaving?