Where are the dead, in Christ, right now?

I had the privilege of offering one of the eulogies at my grandmother's funeral. I shared many of the fond memories from an earlier tribute.

But over the past few days, I've found myself wondering where, exactly, Gaga is now. What's she thinking? Feeling? Who is she with?

I know these same questions have burdened others journeying through grief.

So I closed the eulogy with the comforting answers to those questions found in the Scriptures:

"...Christians have historically understood Isaiah 65, Luke 23, John 14, Romans 8, 2 Corinthians 5 & 12, Philippians 1, 2 Peter 3, and Revelation chapters 6 21 & 22 to teach that those who have been baptized and confessed that Jesus is their Lord will ultimately spend eternity in a physical New Heavens and Earth in new physical, perfect resurrected bodies.

But that physical new dwelling place won't be established until Jesus returns. So what about in the meantime? And what does that mean for where Gaga is today, right now?

Well, in Luke 23 the criminal hanging on the cross next to Jesus confesses to Jesus, and Jesus reassures him that, on that same day, the criminal would be with Jesus in paradise. In a place of bliss and without pain.

In John 14 Jesus says he will go to prepare a place for us, and the Greek word for this place means a temporary place to stay and rest before continuing on the journey.

In this paradise place with Jesus, we're not in our old bodies anymore, but we also don't have our new perfect resurrected bodies yet either. As Christians have historically understood, "to be away from the body is to be present with the Lord."

And they are conscious of Christ's comforting presence, aware of what's still going on among the living, and eagerly waiting for Jesus to return.

In Revelation 6 and Romans 8 it says all those who are waiting with Jesus yearn for Jesus to return to earth and finish the job of making the world right, establish that new physical dwelling place, and give those waiting their new physical resurrected bodies.

To put it more simply: Gaga is with Jesus, in a place where there is no pain, and where she is eagerly watching and waiting. That's a comfort to me. Maybe that's a comfort to you.

Gaga is with Jesus! She is not alone anymore. Those moments and seasons of disconnection over the past decade that led to sadness and loneliness are over.

Gaga is not in pain. Pain is impossible where Gaga now dwells with Jesus. All of the hurting and confusion and anger are gone. No longer. They have all been replaced with relief and peace.

And Gaga is eagerly watching and waiting. She's aware of what's going on here, and she's rooting for us. She's hoping with us and cheering us on!

Knowing where Gaga is right now is comforting for me, and it challenges me. Maybe it could challenge you.

Gaga is with Jesus, and that challenges me. If Jesus is really what this is all about, then am I letting that reality reorganize how I spend the decades, years, weeks, days, hours I have left? If you don't know Jesus, would you like to? Would you like to join His family of people who know they're broken and know this whole world is broken and want to be a part of Jesus's big beautiful project of making the world right?

Gaga is not in pain anymore, and that challenges me. Because sadly for us, until we're with Jesus, some amount of pain will be unavoidable. Yet I don't want to accept that.

I can't tell you how much time I've spent over the past decade trying to run from pain, fast-forwarding through life. Trying to avoid pain using Netflix or food or romance or alcohol or work. I've wasted weeks of my life living to minimize pain, instead of living to maximize life.

What if instead, we all accepted that this world will be broken and painful until Jesus returns. And what if, in the midst of that persisting brokenness, we chose to live for something greater?

If Gaga could speak to us now, with the clarity of mind and heart that Christ's presence has given her, I bet her advice from her own life—from her relentless efforts to feed stray cats and get her fellow retirees to Eastman breakfasts and sneak gas money into my pocket—would be something like this:

Be a person who lets the pain of others interrupt your life, and then do something about it.

Which gets us to that third point: Gaga is eagerly watching and waiting. But this one is a great comfort to me. If I say "yes" to the invitation to spend the rest of my life caring for hurting people instead of trying to avoid pain, Gaga will see and she will cheer me on the whole way.

You see, we can't make Jesus return any sooner.

But the Scriptures say that God sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to begin the work of bringing forth that physical New Heavens and New Earth where everything is made right.

Where sickness, crime, poverty, divorce, and depression are gone.
Where inequality, war, addiction, and homelessness are no longer.
Where violence, hunger, loneliness, hate, and abuse are no more.

We're not going to finish the job with any of those before Jesus returns. Only He can do that. But it's up to us whether Jesus shows up to a job 20% done or 60% done. And that matters.

That matters for you and me and the young people in our lives that we cherish and want to offer something better than what was handed to us.

So take some queues from where Gaga is now and how she sees the world now: Make sure you're on Jesus's team of people making the world right. Don't waste your life running from pain. Instead, be a person who lets the pain of others interrupt your life, and then do something about it. For all our sakes.

I love you, Gaga, and I'm eager to be with you again.