Farewells

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Farewells

Michael Pickford

There’re times in our lives when we have to say “so-long” to those who are near and dear to us. I like terms like “so-long” or “farewell.” “Goodbye” has such a cold sense of finality to it. When I’m leaving someone near to me, I like words that indicate that I will see them again, if not in this life, in eternity. The Bible contains “farewells.” The Lord said, “Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘where I am going, you cannot come....” (Jn. 13:33). Jesus was, in His own way, saying so-long to His apostles, and their hearts were saddened by his departure. Peter said in verse 37, “Lord, why can I not follow you now?...” He and the other apostles didn’t want the Lord to leave them. Their hearts were saddened. This is why the Lord spoke those beautiful words in the first part of John 14. Jesus wanted them to know that this wasn’t “good-bye,” it was only “farewell.” He said, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.” (Jn. 13:36). He explained in chapter 14:1-4 that they would meet again in heaven to be together for eternity. Consider Paul. In Acts 20, he was visiting with the elders from the Ephesian church at Miletus. After he had spoken many words to them and warned them about false teachers, “he knelt down and prayed with them all. Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.” (Acts 20:36-38). Their hearts were saddened at the departure of their beloved friend Paul. They were also saddened that they would likely not see him anymore in this life. Truly, it’s difficult to say “so-long” to those whom we love. It’s especially sad when we have to see them off to eternity, never to see their face again in this life. However, we have a marvelous advantage over those who aren’t Christians. As that beautiful song says, “If we never meet again this side of heaven as we struggle thru this world and it’s strife. There’s another meeting place somewhere in heaven by the side of the river of life.” Our advantage is that when we have to depart from those in Christ whom we love, we will see them again, if not in this life, in heaven, where we’ll never have to say goodbye again. This has to be one of those spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3). When we have to separate from those we love, we know we will meet them again in the sky to spend eternity with them in heaven. Keep this in mind whenever you have to separate from those close to you, whether it’s a so-long with the anticipation of seeing them again in this life, or whether you lose them to death, remember, it’s not “good-bye,” it’s “so-long,” or “farewell.”



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