Losing A Loved One

by Chuck Ness

Yesterday I was informed by a friend that they lost a close loved one. However he knows that his loved one is with our Lord, because those, like my friend and I, are all promised that if we put our faith in Christ, then to be absent from the world means we are Present with our Lord.

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

I understand the grief one feels over the loss of a loved one who did not believe in Christ. I have lost friends and family members who were not Christians. Grieving their loss is appropriate, since they are lost forever, and thus you will never see them again. However, as Christians, we have a promise. The promise of the cross, and the ressurection. So, for my Christian friends, I usually share the following analogy with them to help them realize that they should rejoice, because they are in a better place.

If you are planning to go across country with a loved one, but they change their plans and leave ahead of time. You know you cannot leave yet, but you do know you will be leaving at another time. You also know that your loved one will be there to greet you when you arrive.

This is no different than if a beloved Christian friend, or family member, died before you. While we do feel sorrow for the absence of their physical body, we should not grieve their departure. I say departure instead of loss, because we know exactly where they are.

So why would we want to be so sorrowful knowing they are where we wish we could be? Would you be sorrowful if your loved one or good friend went to Hawaii on a vacation, but there was no way to contact them? You know they are having the time of their life, and soon you will be reunited with them. You just cannot communicate with them.

Well, know this dear sisters and brothers, your saved friends and loved ones who departed this destination before you, are truly having the time of their existence. An existence which will last an eternity with no pain, no sorrow, and no end. An existence we all, as Christians, long for. So why be sorrowful? Please feel joy for their early departure, knowing they just arrived at their desired destination a tad bit earlier than you will.

So instead of crying, we should do as my friend told me he is doing. Singing a song of joy, because his loved one's pain and suffering has ended. Knowing they are where we too wish to be, we should feel good for them, and not sorry for ourselves. As Christians we should be looking at life and death the way the Apostles did, who gave their all. Up to, and including death, to preach the Gospel. Never once considering the sorrow our death would bring to others.

I believe this is one of the reasons Christianity is failing so badly in the United Staes today. We do not project much faith we will ever see our loved ones again. We need to understand that with a sacrificial mindset, we and our fellow Christians will look forward to the day we die. Especially if our death comes from spreading the Gospel. For what good is my faith, if we are unwilling to sacrifice that which this world has to offer for it? After all, what is better, to be in the World with all the agony and misery, or to be in the present of God for an eternity of bliss?

I have always been fascinated by the way some practice funeral processions in New Orleans. They are having a party. With musical instruments, singing, and dancing as they move on down the road to the cemetery to bury their loved ones body. They do so, because they are joyful that one of their own is heading to be with Christ. They realize that this World is full of suffering and death, yet in that death there is release from the suffering. If you are a child of Christ, and your loved one was also, then maybe you should have a good feeling in your heart that their misery and suffering is over.

Below is an old pop song from the early 1960's by the The Cavaliers called, "Oh Where Can My Baby Be". The guy is sad, because his love has died. Yet he knows she has gone to heaven. Thus he has to be good, so he can see his baby when he leaves this World. When you think about it, we all want to see our loved ones who left before us, but if they are in a better place, then we should be desirous to be with them there.

Well, the only way to see those you know are in heaven is for you to also give your heart, soul, and mind to Christ. Just ask in Jesus name for our Father in heaven to forgive you of your sinful life. Then when you leave this old World, you will see your loved one's who just took the early flight.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen