A heavy loss with a golden end.

Today I spoke to S… she started like this:

It’s about my mother…. She passed away 1 week ago.

And that hurt… but she had a question:

My mother confessed her sins on her deathbed, and she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior long ago.

Where is she now??

My answer was as follows: If your mother has accepted Christ as her Lord, she is in heaven.

And her response was brief:

Wow! I’m so happy to hear this!

And that raises questions. Because what’s so “special” about that? Yes, it is definitely special, but why does that surprise her so much? Did she doubt that??

The biblical reality is so simple, we must accept Jesus as our savior, and we are saved… So, you go on and on about why that surprises her so positively… and then it comes:

Actually, a few weeks ago, I was angry with God. Many of the pastors here say it isn’t easy to go to heaven and more like that…

Ah, now we’re getting somewhere! So, next to the loss of her mother (which is terrible) there was the(!) question… is she in heaven now or not? And that question seemed almost greater than the grief of the loss. Where was her mother now? Let’s go a little further in the conversation:

She had been suffering from an illness for a long time, I really prayed for it, but got no answer as to why God was doing this to me. I trusted God. I thought my mother would be a testimony to many. But she is no more…. and that (the testimony part) has not happened.

And then the conversation went (roughly) like this:

Your mother passed away… and yes, that hurts a lot…, but… that was the reason you came to me today for a conversation. Otherwise, we would never have spoken today. … And now elaborate on who God is, and in that way… you get closer to God… through what happened to your mother…

So, your mother… is a HUGE testimony to you today…….

And there we go!

Yes! Wow, I never thought about that. Everything happens with a reason! This gives me hope!

But yeah…. There was another thing. Remember this one?

Actually, a few weeks ago, I was angry with God. Many of the pastors here speak, say it isn’t easy to go to heaven and all…

Then I told her NOT to believe A WORD I say (uhh…that made her pause, that’s a bold approach, but often works great), but that we have to believe what the bible, God’s word, says. And that bible, it is clear in that:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

That’s all it takes…that’s all…. and her response:

I get it! I have to believe what the bible says, not what people sometimes say. I get it! To be honest, you opened my eyes today, you cleared my doubts. My mother is in heaven!

But… we now know where her mother is, but what about T herself? That question had to be asked as well:

Do you believe that Jesus died for our sins, and that He rose from the dead, and in that, He delivered you from hell?

Her answer was, yes, sure!

But when I asked her if she’d ever told God that, her answer was no.

I always thought God hates me for what I’ve done in the past. I thought he would be mad at me.

Ah look, now we’re getting somewhere! This is the real question…. And here is the answer to it:

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.

Hebrews 8:12

Do you see what it says? If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, God does not remember about your past.

How can a God who doesn’t think about it anymore be angry about it?????

Wow, I understand! All these years I’ve just wasted my time thinking that the wrong way. This is so encouraging! God brought me here at the right time, through my mother’s testimony.

Long story a little bit shorter:

Yes, the human grief that her mother is no longer on this earth is real and hurts. But T will see her mother again… what a huge testimony T’s mother was!! And not only for T, but also for me and for you as a reader today.

We ended the conversation with a prayer to let God know that S believes what Jesus has done for her (and you and me).

Welcome to the family T. I look forward to seeing you and your mother… in heaven. Where pain no longer exists.