For those who trust Jesus as their Savior, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The moment life went out of Hans’s body, he was taken immediately into the presence of God—no waiting, no further payment or cleansing required. That is because Jesus paid it all and it is finished.

When the Lord Jesus returns, he will bring Hans with him. Hans is not dead. He is very much alive and having a wonderful, beautiful time right this very minute. We will see him again and we know exactly where he is. He has left our home and gone on ahead to his eternal home. We know this because Hans believed what God says about sin and how to be saved from it. This is not the vague hope of a grieving mother: “I hope he’s in heaven.” No, this is a sure hope—a joyful certainty: “I know he’s in heaven!”

Hans is safe. He is where no one can hurt him. I do not need to worry about him. January 11, 2016 was the best day of Hans’s life.

-From my book, Never Ceasing: God’s Faithfulness in Grief