| Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” |
Don’t get me wrong, some holidays we do things a bit more exciting. But today, I ironed 22 of my short sleeve shirts. I needed something to wear to work, and I was behind on that chore. I remember another holiday where I ironed 48 shirts. Not sure which holiday weekend it was. And then I remembered that today is a special day to my wife and I. It was 34 years ago on Labor Day weekend that we moved into this house. I would not have predicted that for an army brat who grew up relocating each year or every other year. It was in my blood, and I had to fight that urge (as an adult) to move every year. It took quite an effort to resist the urge. It is addictive, I concede. Even though I hated saying goodbye. I still do.
Heaven is appealing to me for that reason. No tears, no parting. And it was in September of 1987 that I first came to my current church family. 37 years ago. My wife and I got married at this church. Many friends have come and gone and some have come again and gone again. There are two ways to live life. . .floating down the river or sitting on the shore. If you float the river, you see folks on the shore come and then go. You wave as you pass by. On the shore, you see folks float into view, and then out of sight. You wave as they float by. Either way, you say a lot of goodbyes. But I prefer life on the shore.
Father in heaven, thank You for the friends you send our way, and thank You for helping us to grieve the loss of them when they leave us, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
– Jeff Beall
