“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”

John 14:2-3 (ESV)

Grief is a hard subject to tackle. Losing a loved one is always devastating. Despite the hardships, there is always comfort in Jesus Christ, who reassures us that we can find joy in Him.

John 14 takes place during Jesus’ last supper with His disciples. He is reassuring them that even though He will be gone for a little while, He will come back to them and they will see Him again soon. A strong point of the passage is that there is room for everyone in the family of God.

When we lose a loved one who has been accepted into the family of God, they will be waiting for us in heaven where God prepared a place for them and for us when our time has come. While saying goodbye to someone who lived with you on earth is sad, the amount of joy of seeing them again in paradise will cover that sadness for an eternity.

Mourning for your loved ones is completely understandable. Many figures in the Bible grieved for weeks, sometimes months for the ones they lost. Jesus even says in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Grief shows that you cared for that person and the time you spent with them on this earth.

However, we as believers are reminded that when our time on earth is done, we will experience a place with no more tears, no more suffering and no more pain. Followers of Christ will see their reward in heaven and their emotional pain will be forgotten. That is the type of joy we will experience with our heavenly Father, because He prepared a place for us.

If you are not a believer or if you lost a loved one who wasn’t, the pain of grief is definitely more impactful. It is never too late to turn your sadness into joy when you receive Christ into your heart. Although the pain of loss is great, the power of everlasting love is even greater.

This week, pray about how you can recognize that your loved ones who believed in Jesus are rejoicing in heaven for an eternity. If you are not a believer, pray about asking Jesus Christ to come into your life, so that you will experience that same joy when your time on this earth is done.