Saying "Goodbye"

There are always times in life where we have to say "goodbye". Sometimes it is when friends move away, or when we move away. At other times, it is when someone is permanently taken from us in death. Today is such a day for Carrie and I.

Carrie's grandfather, her dad's father, left this life earlier today. Last month, he was diagnosed with colon cancer (never a good thing), which had spread throughout his body. Over the past few weeks, Carrie has been able to talk with her family, including her grandfather, and was able to talk about faith matters and the like. While those kind of conversations are never easy, she has handled them with a great deal of grace.

We mourn today because of the death of her grandfather. However, because of our belief in God, and in what God has accomplished through Jesus and the cross, we believe that we will see her grandfather again in God's enduring kingdom. This means that, though we have sorrow now, we also can be thankful, and even joyful, that the end of life in this world does not mean the end of life. Instead, we merely enter into a life that is perfect and will never end with God, through Jesus.

Our hope is that each and every one of you will know this same kind of hope, which is yours when you put your faith and trust in Jesus.