Finding Peace in Goodbye

Phone calls and Facebook statuses over the last couple days has reminded me once again that life is temporary. I've been reminded also that death is no respecter of age-one need not be old to leave this world.  

Most people who die leave behind someone(s) that loved them very much.  Who find themselves, many times without warning, pushed over the precipice of a dark and seemingly bottomless hole called grief. It is not a fast fall, but a slow one. It starts out head first, arms flailing trying to grab hope and sense. Only to be told by senseless people that it will be okay and that with time we will heal.  We quickly find that we are totally alone and the darkness surrounding becomes so real and close we feel the pains of suffocation.   

Left with nothing but despair that their world will never be right and normal again reach out for drink and/or drugs. A sigh of contentment feels their being at the comfort that they find in their new found friends. Maybe now life will be okay and that the searing pain in their heart will be gone.  Then morning comes and they wake to a splitting headache and reality hits them like a ton of bricks. The ledge of drink and drugs that they had found in their hole of grief was not strong enough and had crumbed out from under them. Leaving them once again falling head long to what seems like their own end.

Sometimes another temporary ledge is found, it might be yoga, counseling, or anti-depressants.  But reality is stronger and crushes over and over.  Leaving suicide the only other alternative to peace.

I write this blog post with one desire and that is to give hope to those you find themselves left behind.  Grief is not a bottomless pit there is at the bottom a solid rock waiting for us to firmly stand our feet upon.  The getting there won't be found in friends, drink, drugs, or suicide. But rather Jesus Christ, our Rock and our Salvation.  When we reach out to him he takes us by both hands, turns us right-side up, and we land squarely on our feet.  It is then that we can see that the hole was never deeper then we are tall.  Fresh air assails our nostrils and genuine hope fills every fiber of our being.  

Not only is Jesus our rock but he is our anchor.  The climb out of grief is not easy. There will be many tears and much pain. But when our life's rope is anchored around the solid rock we will find rest from our climb and our souls will be at peace.

I leave you with my favorite verse: 

 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  --Revelations 21:4