My Redeemer Lives: Of Goodbyes and Hellos

Monday, June 24, 2019

Of Goodbyes and Hellos

Dieter and Engel Families in La Rambla, Barcelona

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

"There's always someone saying goodbye" I said aloud as we walked the hallways of the Madrid airport about a week ago today, after spending a week and a half in Spain with our dear friends, the Engel family. The words I spoke were in part, trying to bring comfort to the thought of saying goodbye to our friends and to the country I've just fallen in love with. They were also a sort of remembrance of what my late Father in Law used to comment at times of facing farewells...

I can't express here the melancholic sentiments I feel today, looking back at our wonderful experience in Spain...saying goodbye to Indira and her family as they departed for their home in Omaha, Nebraska...many, many, many miles away from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, and putting the trip to Spain in the "memory" compartment of my mind were two steps I took very reluctantly.

It's never easy to say goodbye. As a matter of fact, I hate saying goodbye. Why do we have to? I can't stand it! There is so much pain involved in the process. It's as if a part of the heart gets ripped apart, and one is left there, standing alone...not knowing what to do next...wondering if the left-over parts of our heart will ever learn to beat again.

We wish the world would stop when we say goodbye in honor of our misery...but, the funny thing is that it doesn't...

Life continues on and our heartache, eventually, becomes also a memory too. But I still don't like it.

How does one make peace with goodbyes? I'm not sure. It's basically a mystery to me. And a mystery, by definition, is something beyond our understanding. As a matter of fact, there is so little our limited human condition can grasp about the way life works: why do good people have to suffer? why do loved ones have to pass away or leave? why is there so much illness in the world? why can't we get along? why do we give into sin so easily? why does Jesus' return seem to delay so much?

I don't know...and I don't understand much at all...that's why the Bible tells us to:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3: 5

Because leaning onto our own understanding will lead us to even more confusion and frustration.

The blessing of the peace that transcends all understanding flows into our lives as we surrender to the truth that God is in control, and that all things DO work together for the good of those who put their trust in Him. (Romans 8: 28)

I believe that's what my dearest friend Indira was hinting at when she offered a reply to my comment about goodbyes. When she heard me, she said: "On the other hand, though...there's always someone saying hello, too!"

These words brought up her characteristic outlook of life: "always try to find the bright side, because there is one...no matter how much it hides behind the clouds."

I believe that was an inspired moment, because, regardless of how hard it is to accept, there is always a "hello" behind every "goodbye."

There are folks saying goodbye to loved ones all around the world today, at this very moment. I pray, therefore, that the Holy Spirit will instill in us the revelation that on the other side, there is a "hello" waiting to happen. May we focus on the reunion and put our energy on the upcoming embrace of the happy greeting that will happen, whether here or on the other side of eternity. Amen!