Posted on 03/01/2024 11:47:00 AM PST by OneVike
Today I received a letter from a good friend who just lost a loved one. Let me predicate all this by stating my friend knows that her loved one is with our Lord, because my friend's loved one was a follower of Christ Jesus like herself. All who put their faith in Jesus know the promise that to be absent from the body means we are Present with our Lord. (2Corinthians 5:-10) I do understand her mourning, because she misses her loved one dearly. For those confronted with the loss of a loved one, I often times use the following analogy to explain why we should actually rejoice the death of a saved Christian.
If you are planning to go across country with a loved one, but they change their plans and leave ahead of time. You know you cannot leave yet, but you do know you will be leaving at another time. You also know that your loved one will be there to greet you when you arrive. This is no different than if a beloved Christian friend, or family member, died before you. While we do feel sorrow for the absence of their physical body, we should not grieve their departure. I say departure instead of loss, because we know exactly where they are. As I already stated, as Christians we know that when we died we may be absent from the body but we are present with the Lord. So why would we want to be so sorrowful knowing they are where we wish we could be?
Would you be sorrowful if your loved one or friend went to Hawaii on a vacation but there were no way to contact them? You know they are having the time of their life, and soon you will be reunited with them. Well, know this dear sisters and brothers, your saved friends and loved ones who departed this destination before you, are truly having the time of their existence. An existence which will last an eternity with no pain, no sorrow, and no end. An existence we all, as Christians, long for. So why be sorrowful? Please feel joy for their early departure, knowing they just arrived at their desired destination a tad bit earlier than you will. For the unbelievers losing a Christian loved one, I offer them the ability to know that one day they will see them, if they give their life to Jesus. However, the flip side is that if a Christians loses a loved one who was not saved, then they should mourn them and feel sorrow. For or their unsaved loved one will with no chance for salvation. They will spend eternity in a place Jesus warns us where.
"Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:48)So instead of crying when a saved believer dies, we should sing with joy that a loved one's pain and suffering has ended. Knowing that they are where we too, wish we could be. I offer this, because of the way I see funeral processions handled in New Orleans, and regardless of how or why the tradition began, it always makes me feel that if a person is saved, then we should celebrate them going home to be with Jesus.
Maybe, as Christians, if we looked at life and death this way, then we would all be more like the Apostles who gave their all. Up to, and including death, to preach the Gospel. Never once considering the sorrow our death would bring to others, because we know our destination is secure. Maybe this is why Christianity is failing so badly in the United Staes today. Their is no sacrificial mindset that says I will be glad to die, if it means I can spread the Gospel. For what good is my faith, if I am unwilling to sacrifice that which this world has to offer for it?
In closing I will add this. For those whose children are now adults, I am sure many of you would rather leave this world today and get on with eternity in the very present of Christ Jesus. Yet I also bet you will suffer the pain in this world for the benefit of your loved ones who would not understand and thus be sad. Mind you, Paul tells us about his own dilemma on this matter in his letter to Philippi.
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. (Philippians 1:21-24)
So, if a fellow Christian leaves early, we should all be rejoicing that they are now where we wish we could be. Lord I pray those who have ears to hear, will hear Your voice and call upon Your Name , so when they leave this world, they too can be assured of an eternal existence in the very present of our Creator, and lover of our souls, Jesus Christ. Amen
Thank you Clarence.
Good site that you have there.
Since I have just suffered a stroke, albeit a minor one, having those of my faith around me is helpful.
Having lost the finest woman on the planet two years ago, the ideal wife and mom for 38 years, I’ve been through the grief crawl. I wrote a book about it.
She and I are believers, with all our hope in His death and resurrection.
I would describe her step into Paradise as a comfort, the prize for faith and faithfulness. But we’re not giddy with celebration. We lost what she brought to our family; peace, safety and confidence. That’s a big pair of shoes.
Amen brother.
Thanks you, and you have been added to my prayers for a full recovery
My condolences, for you loss, but I praise God we know she is now in the presence of our Father in Heaven.
Even Jesus wept when confronted with the death of Lazarus. And if a loved one were to travel to a distant location that allowed no contact I would be sorrowful. Your analogies don’t connect with me at all and seem to dismiss the natural and healthy feelings of grief that accompany the loss of a loved one. I say this as a Christian brother.
Amen!
My only child died two years ago this May. My heart is broken. May God Bless you
Question, did HE weep because of Lazarus was dead, for those who grieved he died, or because Jesus had to bring Lazarus back to life knowing he would be persecuted when the religious leaders make a vow to murder him also?
I lean on the beliefs He weeped because He knew Lazarus’s pain and suffering was over, but now He will rip him from Abraham’s bosom and bring him back into this miserable world.
My heart goes to you. I lost my son at a very young age in 1984, so I know the pain. My wife at the time and I were not saved back then. His death hurt both me and my wife hard. She grieved so bad it ended our marriage. Had we been saved, I believe our young marriage would have been stronger.
Also, the Scriptures tell us that the Jews believed he wept because He love Lazarus so much.
Joh 11:35 Jesus wept.
Joh 11:36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
Jesus knew he was OK, He even stated Lazarus just sleeps, because as GOD, Jesus looks at the soul, not the body..
So to say what you claim is the same speculation the Jews made.
We truly do not know why HE wept, but I still stand by my understanding as I stated.
While I agree with you that we must rejoice that our loved ones are now with God, I don’t see that as resolving our grief.
We hope and believe that we will be reunited with them, of course, and take some solace in that.
But we mourn them, their presence in our daily lives, the warmth of the relationship we had with them (most of the time) - and the regret for the times we struggled with one another. How we wish we could have a do-over for those rougher spots. We grieve for ourselves, our feelings of brokenness, of emptiness without their being by our sides.
My husband died in March of 2012. He died from Parkinson’s with Lewy Body. I was his sole cargiver throught his long illnes, and kept him at home with hospice helping me until the end. Of course, I feel joy and relief that he is with God, and no longer suffering.
I still have a huge hole in my life and my heart, however. Most of the time I get along quite well, and have adjusted. But, your post makes me feel deficient, as failing, as if my faith should eliminate any grief and pain that I feel because of not having him with me for all these years.
I think we must find a better way to console those who grieve. You are too close to the edge of blaming those of us who have lost children and husbands. I don’t think it is an either-or situation. Grief at the loss of the relationship, but solace that someday our natural grief will end, and we will meet again.
I do keep it to myself, however, tucked away inside my heart. Your post asking for my thoughts is why I am responding. Everyone grieves differently, and there is no one “right way” to grieve as a Christian, in my opinion.
I understand the need to grieve, I also realize if we and our loved one is saved, then why not rejoice that they are where you wish to be one day.
I am sure one day I will grieve my wife’s loss, if she dies first, but I also know where she will be, and will do my best to move forward by being strong so that I can continue being of service for the Lord.
I mentioned the apostles, did you know that there are no writings about them grieving over the loss of a loved one who was martyred? They thought it worthy they suffered, and like their fellow apostle, they too looked forward to the day when it would be their turn to carry that cross to death.
I agree with you, and I'm a Christian too. I can't think of my dead loved ones as being in Hawaii having a great old time. They're not in the next room, they're not overseas. There is an enormous gulf between the living and dead. The fact is, they're gone from our sight and senses, and to make matters almost unbearable, we might not see them for decades. It's that tremendous, lonely span of time that makes the biggest difference.
Lost Mrs. Stick 10 months 11 days, 45 weeks 2 days, or 317 days ago. Married 49 years. 2 days ago would have been 50 years
Thanks. his is very appropriate for me today.
This is the day my dad very suddenly died, many years ago.
Thank you for posting this.
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