Will you go to heaven? Who will be with you there?

Saint Stuart
January 16, 2023

Dedicated to Queen Elisabeth II and my grandmother.

The thought of living forever changes my outlook on life in a very positive way. Though my time on Earth is limited, I’ve felt often as a comfort of love from God that my soul will live on into eternity. I don’t know fully what that will be like, but it inspires me and causes me to think about my time here on Earth in a different way. The question as to whether a person’s soul will live on after death is a very important one, and the guidance God has given us points to two possibilities– eternal destruction or eternal life.

Passing through life not knowing the outcome, one might feel frustrated, thinking what’s the point building and working on a life only to have it destroyed as we see through the inevitability of death. What we leave behind becomes an important purpose we can develop– our contributions, memories that others have of us and any children born. Naked a man comes into the world and naked a man leaves, but we have a chance to make an impact on the world while we’re here, hopefully improving it for future generations.

Still, the lives of the past and future will inevitably die, as will everyone currently living. Surely there must be a way for all those souls to continue to appreciate what they worked so hard and beautifully to make of the world that God has provided for us. I think there is, and along with other blessings that visions of heaven bring, it inspires me to make the most of my time here on Earth. Praise God!

Knowing that I’m going to be around to remember and see the results of everything I’ve done with my life makes me think more seriously about what I ought to be doing. The limited time we have is often enough for many to feel pressured to make the most of what they can, but the added hope of an eternity to enjoy after spurs the mind in many wonders. How will what we do here affect that eternity, and who will we be there with? Our minds are unable to even fully comprehend eternity, but the foundations of our own eternity seem to be rooted in how we develop our lives. 

When Queen Elisabeth II died, during her funeral service at Westminster Abbey, I thought of what I sometimes very joyfully contemplate when I think about life after death– that she will be one of the many amazing people throughout history that I will have a chance to meet in heaven. Among all the saints, beautiful souls will be there, some that we have learned to admire during our time alive. What will we say to them? What will we share with them about what we’ve done with the life of beauty God has provided us? We can think about these things now while on Earth and feel inspired to be better people and be encouraged to make a powerful impression on those great role models that the world has been fortunate to know. My inspiration for a long time was to one day meet Saint Joan of Arc. Knowing that I may one day have that opportunity fills me with a dedication to do what is right in God’s eyes, and do the things that saints and great people of the past would applaud. I also think of my grandmother who recently passed away, and how I can live my life knowing that I may one day tell her about it in heaven. That is how great people in this world can be made.

Most importantly, I think that the people in our own lives having the opportunity to join us in that sort of eternity is what seems most wholesome and glorious in God’s ways. In all of that bliss, thinking of someone not being there wells a sadness within believers that causes them to reach out to non-believers in earnest to share what Jesus taught about going to heaven. Do our family members and friends know what inspires believers to honour what the Bible teaches? Tell them if you do. An eternity in happiness will be better and better with each soul that enters. I’m going to heaven and I hope I’ll see everyone I know there. Amen.