‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:4, NIV)
The day my wife Barbara died was the hardest day of my life, needless to say. Now birthdays are difficult. Thanksgiving is difficult. Christmas is difficult. It's amazing how every occasion is loaded with memories we didn't know we had. We had been part of each other's lives for 41 years. I've remarried since then to a wonderful Christian lady who also lost her spouse, but, there is still a void in my life because of those memories.
That day I joined a club I never wanted to join: the club of those who have lost loved ones.
People pour their hearts out whenever I talk about this. They tell me their stories, and I have been in tears as I've heard from other's who have lost loved ones. I thank God for that. Despite this pain and tragedy, if we can bring a little hope or a little comfort to someone else, then I am thankful God has allowed us to have some joy despite this tragedy.
If it were up to me, I would have my wife back in a heartbeat. But I am not given that opportunity, of course. So I simply say, "Lord, I don't want to waste my pain. How can I use it for Your glory?" There are a lot of hurting people out there. I know what they're going through.
I have found that talking about heaven is helpful to me. It causes me to focus and think about where my late wife is right now.
Maybe you have a loved one who is in heaven—maybe a child, maybe a sibling, maybe a parent or grandparent, or maybe a spouse. If he or she trusted the Lord, then you have hope. And that hope is in heaven.
It is not good-bye forever; it is see you later. We will see our loved ones again because, as Christians, we never say good-bye.
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny
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