Stepping Behind the Veil

Joni Canastraro / Graphic Designer

In recent weeks, our family experienced two great losses. My sister-in-law passed away after a 2.5-year battle with Glioblastoma brain cancer, and my oldest sister passed away suddenly one week later from a suspected heart attack. Both were strong believers in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:54b-55 came to my mind immediately “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” I felt sad of course because life would be forever different now without them, but the thought of their entrance into heaven gave me such peace and a reminder that heaven is just one breath away.

I had the privilege of spending time with my sister-in-law a few days before her passing. I prayed with her, played worship music, and shared the glories of heaven. Her eyes lit up when I talked about the beauty of heaven and that she will soon step into that wondrous place and be kneeling at the feet of her Savior. I will never forget that precious time with her.

Someone shared with me several years ago that because there is no time in heaven, it is as though those that have gone before us turn their heads to look behind, and there we are reaching for their hand. Peter said in 2 Peter 3:8b, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” As I was preparing to leave my sister-in-law and fly home, I hugged her one last time and with tears rolling down my face, I said how much I loved her and that I would see her tomorrow. The thought of me meeting her in heaven felt very real, and for a moment, I envisioned stepping behind the veil that separates us from the heavenlies and reaching for her hand. What a beautiful vision the Lord gave to me.

“He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:10