I remember right where I was that day. I was walking my parents' dog Rocky, when I started crying listening to this very song. My grandmother had just died a few days prior, and I was still coping with her loss. It was at that moment, as I took in the lyrics of the song, that tears began streaming down my face. My heart was heavy and full, incomplete but resting in the hope I would see her again in heaven.
My memories of my grandmother, or as I would affectionately call her “Mom-Mom,”come flashing back even now, nearly 4 years after her passing. Eating cereal in the middle of her kitchen after a long eight hour trip to visit her. Playing multiple games of Sequence with her, just enjoying the presence of her company. The week I went to visit her for a summer and I got to get books from the library and movies from the video store. Mispronouncing the Baltimore Orioles as the “Oreos”- just made me laugh and shake my head.
I also have memories of her that help to remind me of her faith in Jesus. I remember reading the “Upper Room” devotional with her and praying with her about family and friends. It wasn’t for show- she did this every day of her life. She lived out her faith, and gave herself away out of her love for her family and community. She made meals for people who couldn’t go to church out of illness, showing the same loving care she gave as a nurse many years prior. A picture of Jesus’s self-sacrificing love. I remember her taking trips to visit us in Maryland, going out of her normal routines, just to be with us. A reflection of Jesus investing his time in people.
She was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. She was often unable to be still, as she frantically cleaned her house when she had just cleaned it a few hours before. Often it was hard for her to show love to those she cared about the most. She could come across as brash, not thinking through the impact of her words. In the last few years of her life, she came to live in Maryland as her health rapidly declined. She was able to be more present and still. She enjoyed reading and playing games, her version of being “still”. She also said the words, " I love you" through the living out of her life a lot more.
She continued to spend time with God every morning, reading the Upper Room. Her days wouldn’t begin without praying to God for her family and for those around her. When she prayed, she prayed simply and profoundly. A heart that was emboldened by faith that the God of the Universe knew her and would answer her prayers. As the last days of her life approached, she lived with a firm and unshakable confidence that one day she would be with her Savior, her husband, her brother, and her parents.
Are there people in your life that you are longing to see again? Is your heart grieving and mourning their loss still months, years afterwards?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 says, “ But we do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
I do not claim to know all the theology about heaven, but one thing I do know: we will see our deceased friends and family if they place their hope and faith in Jesus. We can have hope and confidence that Jesus will keep them safe in his loving and protecting care.
It is okay to be still grieving their loss even though you have confidence you will see them again. I am still grieving the loss of my grandmother. I wish she could have seen me married, and meet my sons Joseph and Caleb. Despite my joys in this life, I will always miss her and that is okay.
“
It is very tempting when we see friends and family leave this earth, to say silently to ourselves, “ I will see them again. The ultimate goal is not to see them again, but to live in a way that we will demonstrate Jesus to others we may not see again in heaven. This is life, grounded in eternal hope, modeling people to Jesus so they may point people to Jesus. This will create a cycle that will ripple echoes throughout generations. We will see them again, but ultimately we will see our Savior face to face, seeing the Lover of our souls standing before our very eyes.
Prayer: Jesus, we love you and we worship you. We grieve for those who have left a tangible impact on our lives. We long to see them again, and wish that could happen right now. However, help us to live life in such a way we will point people that don’t know you yet. As we share our hope, may our hearts come alive once again , living in such a expectant hope that we embrace the glorious adventure of life God has for us now and the life to come! We can’t wait to see our friends and family, but ultimately to meet you face to face!
Comments