Over the last few months several of my dearest friends have said goodbye to loved ones and watched them slip away to Heaven. Moments like these remind us all that this earth is not all there is. Our bodies are for a little time. Our spirits were made for eternity.
I have stood by the temporary burial-place of many who I love. Gravesides are different for those who know the Lord. There is more to come…much more.
A precious lady told me last week with tears of the many family members and friends who are waiting on her around the throne of God. Her tears were expressions of gladness instead of sadness. She rejoiced as she spoke! She was not looking back – she was looking ahead.
Recently I visited with a special friend who was making his last journey on this earth. His body was diminishing, but the inner man was bright. His life was a testimony of the truth found in 2 Corinthians 5: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us…For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (vs. 7, 16). What we see on the outside is not what is happening on the inside. The vessel is breaking up, but the treasure within, Christ in us, is growing brighter!
Sunrise on a recent journey
“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). For believers, death is not night; it is morning! Our loved ones are not nearing the sunset – they are nearing sunrise.
As I left my friend’s room our hearts were full of emotion. I knew that we would not speak again on this side of eternity. The last words I spoke to him were, “I’ll see you soon!” He wept and we both knew. Soon we will see one another in a much better place. Soon we will speak without ever having to say goodbye. Soon.
If you are grieving the loss of someone you love, do not think in terms of “goodbye.” The writers of Scripture often used the word farewell as they concluded their conversation. Be well until we meet again. Indeed, those who are with the Lord are doing very well. And we will meet again.
Don’t say goodbye! Say, “I’ll see you soon!” We have a lot to look forward to.
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