1 Thessalonians 4:10-18 13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
It’s never easy when we lose someone. A family member, a friend or an icon figure that you looked up to or admire. Dealing with loss takes a toll on us. We become overcome with grief and sorrow. Our hearts yearn to hear their voice or simply see them smile again. Whether it’s of old age, an illness or just an untimely passing it takes some time to come grasp that they will no longer be around.
I can remember losing my mother at 15 years old. The pain my sisters and I felt was indescribable. We had family members and friends to console us but it was never enough to fill the void that we felt those first few years. We took comfort in knowing that we will see her again someone day. In the meantime, we decided that we were going to live our best life that represented her labor of love.
God understands exactly what we are feeling and he is here to console us in our most vulnerable moments. He is the much needed shoulder to cry on and the warm embrace that you feel that tells you that you will get through this. He is here to comfort us and shower us with the assurance that our family members are resting in him. We might not understand the ‘why’ but God in all of his divine wisdom decided to call them to rest. Some struggle with silently while others had struggles that were visible Some battled grave diseases while others were called home because it was simply their time.
When it’s all said and done, we can still hope in the Lord. Our grief is not permanent. We can take heart knowing that we will all one day see each other again on THAT day. Therefore, let us encourage each other with the word of God and be reminded that death is not the end. We are just transitioning from this life to ultimately the arms of the Lord. If you haven’t already taken the steps to accept Jesus as your Savior, now is the time. He will help you get through this.
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