And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13

When he was a toddler, my son did not do well with goodbyes.  He loved nothing more than to be surrounded by a crush of family and he’d cry mournfully when grandma and grandpa, or the cousins drove away, after a visit.

The older we get, the more our lives are marked by goodbyes and loss.  It makes me increasingly glad that saying goodbye is but a “see you later,” among followers of Jesus.  For, as the Bible book of First Thessalonians explains, we do grieve over loss of those we love, but “not like people who have no hope.” It’s as Jesus said to his disciples before his death, “A little while, and you will not see me again, and again a little while and you will see me.” (John 16:17)

Now Jesus knew that “a little while” is a hard concept for us to understand humanly speaking. That little while seems too long. “So also you have sorrow now,” Jesus acknowledged, “but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22). One day, Isaiah 8 says, death will be no more and “the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.” (Isaiah 25:8)

I love the beautiful sentiment my friend Dick uses to express the hope that believers share together.  He says, “Wherever you go, I’ll see you soon.”  Whether separated in life or through death, this is the precious comfort available to every follower of Jesus Christ.

 

Resource reading: Isaiah 25:8-9