“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:3

Goodbye, See You Soon!

“Goodbye, it was good to see you again! See you again soon!” Oh, it was so good to see family and friends again during the holidays. Any time spent with my grandsons and family is special for me. Some of us will be blessed with family members soon coming home for the Easter holidays. Once a year in January, we are blessed with an after-holiday reunion with my sister and nephews and their families. It is always hard to say goodbye, because “see you soon” is probably a year away.

Easter brings families together again but many are missing from our table due to time and distance. Some will be missing because they are with Jesus.

My heart breaks as I say “Goodbye, see you soon” to a dear friend of mine. As I bid farewell in this world, I know that I will see him for eternity. Many of you have painfully said goodbye many times. We say goodbyes to parents, spouses, siblings, and sometimes the Lord calls a child home before us. It is hard to let go.

The disciples had a rough time saying goodbye to Jesus. They did not want Him to leave them. They did not understand that His “Goodbye, see you soon” was goodbye for only three days!

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked the Father if there was any other way to redeem us, but if not, Jesus relinquished His will to the Father’s will. I am overcome with gratitude that Jesus was willing to pay such a high price for me. It makes me realize the value He placed on you and me. He came into this darkness to light the way for us. He did not leave us comfortless, though—He placed His Holy Spirit within us so that we now can be His light and light the way for others.

“It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by His own authority. Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth…Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Taken from Acts 1:4-9)

“Lord, You explained Your gospel to Your disciples, then sent them out to spread the good news to the entire world. This thought challenges me to carry Your gospel—to pass the torch of Your light to family and friends and strangers so they would obey Your command to ‘go into all the world’ around us. Amen.’