My friend Joe has a son named Peter. When Peter was about seven years old, his family moved from Michigan to Florida. Peter was not happy about the move, since it meant leaving behind Mr. Whittle. Mr. Whittle was one of Peter’s best friends, even though the age difference between them was about eighty years! One morning, the family received a phone call saying Mr. Whittle was dying of cancer. When Peter heard the news, he ran to his room. Joe thought Peter must be really broken up, but soon Peter returned with a piece of paper – and a request. “Dad,” he asked, “would you send this to Mr. Whittle?” Joe said sure, but asked if he could read the letter first. Peter said okay. Moments later, big tears flowed from my friend’s eyes as he read the carefully scrawled note: “Dear Mr. Whittle, I hear that you are going to heaven. Isn’t that great? Your friend, Peter.”

Most of us would have said, how sad that Mr. Whittle is going to die. But that boy Peter knew the truth: he knew Mr. Whittle knew Jesus and was on his way to heaven. The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Cor. 2:9). We don’t know what heaven will be like, but we know it’s going to be a beautiful and supremely joyful place. This is the hope we have as followers of Jesus. This is the hope we must share with those around us so we can reach our world.

This is Luis Palau.