I have heard that humor is sometimes used to deal with important things we don’t really understand. If that’s true, I can see why there are so many jokes about heaven.

We understand so little about what life is like for those who are “with the Lord.” When we lose a loved one, we struggle to grasp why God “needed” that person more than we did. Because justice and reward are so imperfect on earth, it seems hard to imagine a place where God perfectly administers both. So we chuckle at stories about someone “who died and knocked on the Pearly Gates.”

Even the most knowledgeable theologian knows little of that marvelous place the Bible calls heaven. Jesus didn’t give a detailed description of life after death, but He promised His followers an eternal home with Him. He said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:3).

We don’t understand everything about heaven, but we believe our Savior’s promise. By faith in the integrity and power of the One who has spoken, we accept what we cannot fully comprehend. We live with hope and assurance of all that He has in store for us. And that’s no joke.