“How weary we grow of our present bodies. That is why we look forward eagerly to the day when we shall have heavenly bodies that we shall put on like new clothes.”
2 Corinthians 5:2 TLB
Iridescent light sparkled all around Kate James. Like sunshine filled with diamond dust, the atmosphere glowed with white, glittering light.
Kate’s body felt as light as cotton candy and energized like bubbly champagne. Her emotions rejoiced as if she was bursting through the ribbon at the end of a marathon.
Actually, her life had been a marathon. And now she faced the great beyond.
As she approached, the light grew brighter than she’d ever thought possible. Her soul fed off the light, filling her with lively vigor.
She couldn’t believe what came into view. Huge circular gates glimmered like mother-of-pearl shells – the pearly gates! They opened wide to let her in, and just inside a man in dazzling white robes greeted her with open arms and a beaming smile. Jesus!
She ran into his arms and He held her tight. So much love emanated from His embrace that she couldn’t contain the joy she felt. Yet rather than tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, rays of light streamed from her eyes, warming her face. She glowed almost as much as Jesus!
“I’m so glad to see you, Katie.” Jesus called her by her childhood nickname, the name her sweet daddy had given her. In her adult life, only her precious husband had called her Katie in their quiet moments together. No one had called her Katie since John passed away several years ago.
She pulled back to look into Jesus’ eyes. She wanted to respond, but was so struck by emotion that words escaped her.
His gentle smile showed that He understood. This probably happened all the time. What does one say to Jesus?
“Someone’s waiting for you, Katie.” Jesus released the hug and motioned to his right.
“John!” Her husband looked as young as the day they’d met, but even handsomer, if that were possible. His dark hair shone and his blue eyes gleamed like sapphires. “Oh, John! I’ve missed you so!”
She leapt into his arms and he swung her around like they’d danced in their youth. Music, as if piped in from the clouds, played their favorite song by the Andrews Sisters.
“Near You” had come on the radio during their first date. Both of them enjoyed the song so much that they forgot their nervousness and began singing. Catching each other, they laughed and never had a nervous moment between them again. Three months later, it had been their wedding song.
As they danced, John pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “Look at you, Katie.” His voice was gentle and loving.
Only then did Kate look down at herself. Long blond hair flowed around her shoulders in beautiful waves, without a hint of gray, fuller and more brilliant than in her younger days on earth. She touched her face – the smooth, soft skin held no wrinkles or moles or stray hairs on her chin. And her hands – wow. No brown spots or veins, no wrinkles or gnarled knuckles. Prettier than in her youth, her hands had ten shapely nails buffed to perfection. Even her skin color glowed like she’d been in the sun.
She ran her hands along her glorified body, and then peeked beneath the beautiful robe. Gone were the stretch marks from pregnancy, the paunch from enjoying too much of her own good cooking, and the swollen, aching joints from old age.
Her heavenly body was in her prime, only better. No acne dotted her jawline, no scar marked her elbow from falling off her bike when she was five, and no kink caught in her neck from diving off a waterfall and hitting bottom at fifteen. (God had miraculously protected her from that stupidity.)
Best of all, the weight of her sin was GONE. She’d lived a good life, had been a faithful Christian for most of it, and yet – she was human. Her sinful nature had often exposed itself in a sharp tongue, a judgmental attitude, and a quick temper.
Her mind, heart and soul felt so free of all that! Warm fuzzies filled her entire being with love and grace and inexplicable JOY.
Yes, this was the best part of paradise in a glorified body.
Then she caught John’s lingering look – not lewd or suggestive – but an appreciative appraisal – like one might study a work of art.
“So, I’ll be in my prime for eternity?” Kate wondered aloud.
“Absolutely,” John exclaimed with a wink.
Jesus shook His head and grinned.
*****
Don’t you love imagining what heaven will be like?
Each segment of this new fictional series will have a clear beginning and end so you won’t be lost if you don’t read every post. Life application will definitely be part of the story. After all, Kate is a Christian grandmother who lived a long, faith-filled life and now resides with Jesus! As she looks down on her family from the great beyond, she’ll certainly have more than a few words of wisdom to share.
What are your thoughts?
A. I prefer to read devotions and am not be interested in a series about heaven.
B. I’d enjoy a brief heaven series but prefer to return to devotions soon.
C. I’d love to explore heavenly perspectives through a fictional series.
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Kate James is the grandmother in my first novel, Lilacs for Laura.
To read more about Kate’s life on earth, find Lilacs for Laura HERE.
Thanks for reading!
May God Bless your day,
Dianne