For the first 27 years of my life I had been safeguarded from the anguish of the death of a loved one. I had yet to experience the pain associated with losing somebody close. I had a limited understanding of suffering for the dearly departed except vicariously through others who had lost friends or relatives. All of this changed this past weekend with the passing of my grandfather. For the first time in my life I finally understood the feelings and thoughts that most individuals will inevitably experience about the poignant reality of life. Yet, for the Christian, death is only the beginning.
The Apostle Paul records for us in his epistle to the saints at Philippi that “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). Here we have the promise that death is the passageway by which we come together with our Lord and Savior. Life’s journey is consummated with death and the final act is left to God. Just as Christ told the thief on the cross, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise,” (Luke 23:43) so we also have the assurance that the moment we pass into eternity we will be in the presence of the Lord.
It is hard for me to imagine a more sublime destiny than knowing our loved ones are now in the presence of the Lord. It is even harder for me to grieve knowing that they are in a place far greater than this world. No longer will they suffer; no longer will they endure the hardship this world affords; no longer will they experience pain and anguish. I am confident that if given the opportunity, no saint would give up Paradise to return to this earth. We can take comfort in knowing that they are now with the Lord who is continually interceding for them and us and will preserve them so we will one day be reunited with them to spend eternity where there is no pain or suffering.
Nevertheless, there is still a grieving process. We will still shed tears for the departed and we will never let them slip from our memories. It is profoundly painful to lose anyone, but the chief difference we have as Christians is knowing that they are now safe in the arms of Jesus.
