He looked down and saw a world drowning in tears. A world suffocating in sorrow and plagued by the hopelessness that is born out of death.

So God made Heaven.

He knew that mamas and daddies needed a place where they would once again meet their children. The children who had been taken from this earth too soon. He knew they needed to know their babies who had breathed for but a moment, to once again look into the eyes of the children whose lives were cut tragically short. He knew they needed a place where their children would be whole and healed, alive and energetic. Because to remember a child’s suffering and death, with no promise that they would be made well, would be too heavy a burden for any parent to carry for the rest of time. He knew the reality of letting their children go would cause parents to crumble and that they needed a place where they could hang on forever. And He knew a child could not be complete without experiencing the eternal love of a mother and father.

So God made Heaven.

He knew sons and daughters needed a peaceful place to reunite with their parents, a place where a lifetime of disagreements would be erased. He knew they needed a place in which arguments would be forgotten and conflicting points of view would no longer exist. He knew they needed a place abounding in forgiveness where the sins of the past would no longer be held against them. A place where the weight of resentment would be lifted from their shoulders, freeing them to pour that same forgiveness into their parents. He knew there needed to be a place in which the bond between children and parents could be made pure, restored to perfection. A place where their differences would no longer pull them apart and where love and acceptance would unite them always.

So God made Heaven.

He knew brothers and sisters needed a place where the sibling bond could be refreshed, where all parties would be granted innocence. A place where an untainted friendship would replace the relationship that was once defined by quarrels. He knew they needed a place that held an abundance of all the best things. A place where they would never have to vie for anyone’s attention or fight over the last piece of chocolate cake, or argue about who got more of this or that, because there would be enough of everything for everyone. He knew they needed a place where competition would be non-existent and where they would be treated as equals. A place in which their laughter would be everlasting and where their relationship would thrive forever. A place in which they would only and always be best friends.

So God made Heaven.

He knew grandmas and grandpas needed a place to congregate with every generation. A place where they could embrace the ones they had left behind as well as the ones who had come after them. He knew they had missed out on many lifetimes of memories and wanted to give them some that they could hold onto forever, memories with the people they would always be proud to call their own. He knew that Grandma’s secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies was far too good to be buried forever. And that Grandpa’s jokes would never lose their power to elicit laughter. He knew that grandparents would sometimes be dismissed as they aged on this earth and he wanted a place where their worth would be appreciated always. And He knew that no family would be complete simply by knowing its founding members through pictures.

So God made Heaven.

He knew our relationships in an imperfect world could never be perfect. That life here on earth would never be long enough for love to be complete. He knew the devastation that would come from broken relationships and missed opportunities. And that death, under every circumstance, would be too much a burden for our weary hearts to bear. He knew the tears of His people needed to be wiped away permanently, that their hearts needed to be made whole again. And He knew the power of life and love would never reach its full potential here on Earth.

So God made Heaven.