Week 69 Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
Saying Goodbye
First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we . . . will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. - 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
Olivia was her Grandma’s buddy. Each week, they played games, ate pizza, and told each other funny stories.
Grandma was dying of cancer. Their last night together at the hospital, Olivia sat by her grandmother’s side. Grandma took Olivia’s hand in hers. She told Olivia how much her eight-year-old granddaughter meant to her, that she’d miss her, and that one day they’d have a big reunion in heaven together.
“When we see each other that day, we’ll never have to say goodbye again,” said Grandma.
Saying goodbye to her grandmother was still hard. Olivia wanted her grandma to stay with her. It’s normal to want to hold onto our loved ones, just as Olivia did. You see, God designed us for never-ending, never-stopping life—eternal life. We were not made for the pain and separation of death. We were not meant to say goodbye.
As followers of Jesus, though, we do have real hope: the promise that one day we will see our loved ones, without ever having to say goodbye again.
