“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers…” 2 Thessalonians 2:1
‘They’re here!’ I thought… as I ran to the door. After weeks of planning, then rescheduling because of illness, my youngest daughter arrived with her whole family. Because they live almost 4 hours away, and because of differing schedules, we don’t get to see them very much. But as ‘looking forward’ became ‘here and now,’ Joy filled my heart and lasted all weekend.
My granddaughter ‘Cypress’ is the cutest little thing. I know most every grandparent thinks that and I am no exception! When she got here, the age old game of playing shy came too. I know it well. As she turned her head away, I caught her peeking with 1 eye as my daughter said, “go see Papa.. you’ve been waiting!” But I know the game. It doesn’t happen that fast!
There’s a little game of ‘playing hard to get’ that goes on between Cypress and me. But that game has been played with every one of my granddaughters, when they were her age. As they got older, the game waned, until it was gone altogether. But that’s just how things Grow! As life takes on a responsibility of its own, heart holes can become a sign of maturity. Sniff!
Today’s Bible verse is God’s addressing of those ‘heart holes.’ Having seen most of our kids and grandkids this weekend, we awoke today to a kind of loneliness that is only produced by love for one another. The kind that, when absent, makes itself known only in the sorrow of silence. Of all the things I love about Jesus, HIS addressing of THAT silence is His GREATEST!
There is NOTHING on earth that addresses the Godly Sorrow of yearning and loss like Jesus Christ. I missed my kids before we even left! But we planned to get together again THIS MONTH! Looking forward to ‘soon’ makes ‘the heart hole’ pill easier to swallow. But for family and loved ones that have passed on, a much stronger medicine is necessary.
IT IS A FACT!!!! WE WILL BE GATHERED TOGETHER WITH JESUS. There is a DATE coming! A TIME! A REUNION! And it will NEVER END! The BEST part is.. we will ALL be with Jesus Christ … FOREVER! In light of eternity… it is coming SOONER… than later! As I Consider the Joy that is ‘to come,’ it helps me face hard days with something to LIVE FOR! How about you?
Are YOU looking forward and planning YOUR reunion of joy? Because it is possible to be so stuck on ‘back then,’ that you can miss the REAL joy and reason for where you are right now. Do you look forward to the anticipation and joy of ‘The Gathering?’ Do you let that promise fill and encourage you to keep working and moving forward? Because THAT is precisely what God wants His Hope in you to do!
