When it is Time to Say Goodbye

Every summer growing up we went to Charleston, SC to visit our cousins. While my parents only stayed the weekend, I often stayed the entire following week. We had so much fun going into the city, seeing the historical sites, playing with my cousins and of course, going to the beach. As the week drew to a close I always felt sad, knowing that soon it would be time to return home. Yet there comes a point when reality speaks and we must all return home.

So it is with death. We all live in this world on God’s time. Eventually God calls us home even though we may be reluctant to leave this earth along with those we love and cherish. As the days pass by and we get closer to the end, we often feel melancholy. All we know is this world we were born and raised. Perhaps we can’t imagine anything beyond this life. After all this life is tangible and real. We have all kinds of experiences, and death seems so final. Yet in the Gospel of John, Jesus reminds us that he is going before us to prepare a place for us. But since none of us have met Jesus in person, we have to rely on faith.

There is that word – faith. We can’t see it, we can’t touch it, yet as Christians we rely so much on faith everyday. Jesus tells the disciple Thomas as well as us, “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe (live by faith).” Despite this belief in Christ’s words we hold on tightly to this life and all we know. Perhaps we would rather stay in this world despite its brokenness. For brokenness is all we really know.  

Eventually there comes a point in which we must say goodbye. Saying goodbye may be easy for some and difficult for others. Then again, some of us never have the opportunity to say goodbye as we are taken unexpectedly. Regardless of how or when we pass on, faith is what makes our transition from this life to God’s Kingdom hopeful.

Hope is what drives our faith. We are Children of the Resurrection and our hope lies in Jesus’ promise of eternal life in him. So don’t fear death. Have faith and believe in Christ. By his death he has removed the sting of death and destroyed it forever. One day we will all be welcomed into that Heavenly Feast by those we love who have passed on before us. We will say goodbye to this world and hello to God’s Kingdom; a joyous paradise where there is no more suffering, no more pain, no more sorrow and every tear shall be wiped away.