Read: Revelation 21:1-5

Luke peered out the van’s window as his dad drove down the cemetery’s narrow path past rows and rows of small gray tombstones. Snow and ice covered the ground from the last winter storm. When they reached the last row of tombstones, Dad pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine. They all got out of the van, and Mom opened the back door and pulled out a colorful cross made of purple flowers. Purple had been Luke’s grandma’s favorite color.

Luke pulled his hood tightly around his head as he and his parents walked slowly down the row of graves. He counted the tombstones as they passed each one. He knew his grandma’s grave was the seventh in the row. When they reached it, the family stopped and read the inscription once again: Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother.

They stood silently for a moment as a bitter wind pierced the air. Then Luke spoke up. “It’s so sad and depressing coming out here.” He looked around the cemetery and shivered. “Just thinking about how many dead people are buried in these graves gives me chills.”

Dad put his arm around Luke. “I know, buddy. But we know the grave’s not the end. We have hope for eternal life. Jesus said He is the resurrection and the life and that anyone who believes in Him will live forever.”

Mom nodded. “Grandma trusted Jesus as her Savior, so she is with Him now. Even though our physical bodies die, Jesus promises to always be with those who trust in Him—even in death. After we die, we go to be with Him, and one day He will give us new bodies that will never die.”

Dad gave Luke a pat on the shoulder. “Nothing beats that hope.”

“Do you want to put the flowers on Grandma’s grave?” Mom asked, holding out the flowered cross.

Luke took the cross and stooped down beside his grandmother’s tombstone. He pushed the stake down firmly into the ground. As he started to stand up, he noticed something green behind the grave. A few blades of grass were poking up out of the snow. There in the cemetery, out of the deadness of winter, the new life of spring was on its way.

–Vanessa Small

How about you? Do you know someone who has died? Are you afraid of dying yourself? Death can be a difficult reality to face, but those who trust in Jesus have hope beyond the grave. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, you can trust in Him today. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) If you do know Him, share the hope you have with others so they can have eternal life with Jesus too.

Today's Key Verse: Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” John 11:25 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Christians have hope for eternal life