I have no doubt that in heaven your mother will recognize you, and you will recognize her—even if you never knew each other on earth. When King David’s infant son died, David declared, “I will go to him” (2 Samuel 12:23).

Perhaps you are thinking of Isaiah 65:17: “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” But this verse has nothing to do with whether or not we will be reunited with our loved ones in heaven if we know Christ. Instead, it gives us a great promise: Someday all the sins and pains and failures of this world will be over, and we will be with Christ forever.

More than that, God has promised that in heaven nothing—even the memory of this world’s sin and pain—will cast a shadow over the joy He has in store for us there. Think about that for a moment. In this world, even the memory of what someone did to us years ago can still cause us pain. But that won’t be true in heaven, because our focus won’t be on the past but on Christ and what He means to us.

In the meantime, make it your goal to walk with Jesus every day. Do you know Him? If not, make your commitment to Him today. Then take comfort in His promise: “I am going there (to heaven) to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).