One of those unpleasant situations….
I hate goodbyes. I don’t mean, “Goodbye. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I mean, “Goodbye, my friend. I’ll see you next year,” or “someday,” or, God forbid, “I’ll not see you again.” That last is the hardest to say. There is much less of it today than there was a hundred years ago. The world has shrunk to the point where you arrive almost anywhere in a matter of hours.
I am speaking more of saying goodbye to someone who has passed beyond life. Most people think that kind of goodbye is the hardest of all, but it isn’t for those who have hope in Jesus Christ. We know that even though such a goodbye is difficult, it is not permanent.
David wasn’t a saint….
Scripture tells us that when the prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin of adultery and murder, that David, in complete humility, repented of his sin. Sin always carries with it a price, though, and Nathan told him that the son Bathsheba had borne him would die as a result of his actions. Shortly after that, his son became sick and, after lingering seven days, the child died.
During the time of his son’s illness, David pleaded with God for the infant’s life. He fasted and prayed and lay on the ground for days. The leaders of the nation, feeling that this was unbecoming to a king, begged him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.
Then a strange thing happened. When the child had died, David got up, took a bath, put on his most presentable clothes, went to the Tabernacle to worship the Lord, and then came back to the palace and ate. Puzzled by his actions, his advisers asked him why he’d behaved the way he had.
David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:22-23.
The hope of God’s children….
This short passage is a powerful statement of the fact that we will see our loved ones again. Our relationships won’t be the same as here on earth, but, nevertheless, we will see them. As Christians, we have that hope. I thank God for this scripture. It brings me great comfort to know that I’ll see my mother, my grandparents, my husband’s parents, and friends that have already gone on to be with the Lord.
It’s not a suggestion….
The tragedy occurs when you have someone who leaves life behind without the Lord. For those of us who know Christ, this situation puts an almost unbearable ache in our hearts. Loved ones, friends, strangers, enemies—it doesn’t matter who they are. Everyone needs the saving grace of Jesus. If you know of someone who doesn’t have a personal relationship with God, you are commanded to share with them the good news, the love of God, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sins and all the sins of the world. (Acts 1:8, John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) They need to know that it is a gift offered freely to all who will simply accept it, regardless of their circumstances. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
When someone who knows the Lord leaves this world, it is no longer “Goodbye,” but merely, “See you later, my friend.” That is the promise of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—a simple gift with everlasting promise.
We will see each other again, my friend.
But for now, God bless and keep you all!!
Thank you. <3