Our opinions are unpopular.
But it’s not an opinion if we’re stating the fact of God’s word.
We’re considered foolish.
But we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
His teaching is perceived as shackles.
We know that through Christ alone can one find freedom.
The world looks at death and sees an end.
We look at death as the transition into eternity with our Lord.

Life can be difficult. Even without the world railing against us, we seem to find our own way to stumble from time to time. Sometimes it is a lapse in judgment, while others it is blatant and open rebellion.
But our Father still chases after us.

Then there are times when life is difficult because a loved one is slipping away due to illness. Heart Failure, Kidney Failure, Alzheimers, Cancer; they don’t take our loved ones immediately. Instead, they slowly eat away at them. They are taken from us bit by bit, day by day. How do we find joy in this moment? Has God left us? Matthew 28:20 tells us that He will never leave us, even to the end of the age.

I lost my papaw to Alzheimers, my mamaw to kidney failure, my father to complications of cancer & stroke. Each of them went through their own process. Each of their passings impacted me differently. In part because of my age but also in part because of my maturity of faith. Each of them got sicker and sicker.
All the while I searched for answers, the “why” for God to answer.

Still, there are times we lose loved ones unexpectedly. A random phone call in the middle of the night to be told that your father, brother, mother, or friend; is gone. I thought the quick route would somehow be easier. But over the years I’ve been on the receiving end of that phone call. An uncle, an aunt, even my own mother.
Still, I searched for the answers, the “why”.

As it is with most things, in time, the answers come. Each one impacted me differently. In a few cases, I’m able to say that had things not gone the way they had that I wouldn’t have learned what I learned.
Especially in the final days with my father.

Learning or not, the fact remains that all of these very dear people to me are gone. Their absence forever felt as my own life moves forward. But that longing for them is temporary.
I know the end.

In Matthew 16:20-22, Jesus is telling his disciples that soon they will have sorrow. The world will rejoice but they will have sorrow. He likens the pain to that of a woman in labor, that she is in pain during the birth, but is later filled with joy at her child. He was speaking of His own death. That soon He would be crucified, the world would rejoice at His death, and that they would mourn and be sorrowful. Upon His return though, their hearts would be filled with joy and such joy that no one could ever take it away.

Jesus, in His mission, was coming to conquer death that had been allowed into the world through Adam’s sin. Death was never a part of God’s creation. God walked among His people before sin and death separated us. Jesus was angry at death while at the tomb of Lazarus and now he’s foretelling His inevitable conquering of death through his crucifixion and resurrection. But He knew that those closest to Him, His disciples, would suffer great sadness while He was in the tomb. He was stressing that the pain would only be temporary.
He knew He would rise again, victorious over death. Restoring the relationship between God and man by being the only worthy sacrifice. Because of His work, we have that happiness as well.

The pain of losing a loved one is only temporary for those who place their faith in Christ alone. Like a woman in childbirth, the pain is real, it hurts, it’s hard, but in the end, we’ll rejoice.
Those loved ones who were taken from us slowly, and those who were gone in an instant; we will see again. When we see them they will not be sick nor tired nor old. But restored in fullness as Christ sees us.

Remember the end, it is the end of the story that gives us assurance and our peace.