“For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.” Hebrews 11:14-16
A friend of mine recently lost her husband suddenly. He was in his mid-sixties and had so much life in him. It’s hard to imagine him not being here with his family who he loved so dearly. It’s heartbreaking. It reminded me of the loss of my father, someone who left what I consider to be too soon, at age 59. My dad was a family man too. And it was so hard when he left us. I would think often too of the things my father has missed, my marriage to a really wonderful man, and especially having a relationship with his grandchildren.
My friend wrote something to someone in a comment on Facebook, however, that recently changed my entire outlook on this. She said that it’s hard. She misses her husband, but she knows, without a doubt, he is with Jesus and given the opportunity, he would not want to come back to this earth.
Oh, how I needed to hear this. Such a burden was lifted from me. This was a man who loved life. He lived it to the fullest. He loved his family and spent every moment he could with them. Still, after being in the physical presence of Jesus, he would not want to come back.
My dad may have missed out on some things down here, but those things, as wonderful as they are, do not compare to being in the presence of Jesus. He would not want to come back here either.
I love life. I do my best to live it to the fullest, but I also can’t wait until I see my Jesus face to face. That’s going to be the most wonderful experience. I hope this brings comfort and encouragement to anyone carrying the burden of grief or fear of death.
Jesus tells us to come to Him with our heavy burdens. He defeated death. Our best moments on this earth pale compared to eternity with Him.
