Hope In Heaven

Hope in Heaven

Dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13

At least once a day my grandma talks about heaven. She doesn’t talk about it with regret at the thought of dying. Instead, her words remind me of a five-year-old waiting for a trip to Disneyland! Grandma gets frustrated with her failing body, and she’s saddened by the loss of all the friends who have gone, including her husband of fifty years. Like my grandma, those in the Amish community aren’t fearful of death. Here is an example of how they live out their view of death, in an excerpt about an Amish man’s last days:

John Stolzfus bore one of the most common names in the Old Order Amish community in eastern Pennsylvania where he had lived all of his life. He had an ordinary Amish life, but for many people who fear death his last days can be considered nothing less than extraordinary.

In time, after what he thought of as a good life, John began to decline in vigor and in his ability to get around. In accordance with Amish customs, a small house (called a “grandfather house”) was built next to the main farmhouse, and John retired there. After his retirement, John concentrated on reading his beloved Bible, whittling simple wooden toys, and spending time with his second wife, their children, and their grandchildren. When he could no longer get out of bed, both John and other members of his community realized that his death was not far off. Gradually, Amish neighbors of all ages began to come by to pray together and say good-bye one last time. John spoke openly of his coming death and used these visits to encourage others to prepare for and calmly accept their own deaths. At the age of 82, John Stolzfus died peacefully one night in his own bed, as one of his daughters sat quietly in a nearby rocking chair and two of his grandchildren slept in their own beds in the same room.

Do you look forward to heaven—to eternity—with expectancy? What Jesus offers in life is greater than anything this world has to offer.

Dear heavenly Father, the hope of heaven is a beautiful gift. Please take away all my fears.