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*I originally posted this in July when a friend’s mother passed away. It seems appropriate to share it again today.
A dear friend passed away yesterday. He had courageously battled cancer for several months and the end had come. Passed away. We use that phrase when a loved one dies. Passed away?
A summer storm passes away. One season passes away to another. Childhood passes away to adolescence. Eventually, our youth passes away to old age. But does a person really pass away?
For those of us who are followers of Christ, we should know better than anyone, no one really just passes away. The Bible teaches and most of us sense intrinsically that are spirits are eternal beings that are temporarily housed in a frail human body that is going to stop working one day.
Of course, we would all like to know why God did not heal him while he was still with us. It was wasn’t for a lack of prayers or faith. We do know, though, that Bill is now healed and whole and basking in the Presence of his Savior.
We also always keep our loved ones in our hearts after they have died. We reminisce and tell stories about them. We remember the good and minimize the bad. When we see a photo of them, it stirs something within us of good times that we enjoyed with them.
And while this collective memory that we have of a loved one is important, let us never forget the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. He was raised from the dead so that one day, those who love Him, would be resurrected as well. This is much more important than us just trying to hold onto memories of a loved one. It is understanding that our loved one is merely waiting for us to join them one day. On the day of Christ’s return, we will all enjoy the resurrection together.
Maybe we need to find a better phrase to refer to death. For a Christian, death is…
Passing from one realm to another.
Passing from pain and suffering to complete and eternal healing.
Passing from dreaming to being fully awake.
Passing from life to real life.
Passed away? Not hardly. Bill has just passed on ahead of us to the reward that God has promised for all those who love Him.
How does this resonate with you?
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