No More Goodbyes

Saying goodbye is my least favorite thing. And my honorary niece agrees

with me.

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Last year, my husband and I bought a house with our dear friends from

collegethe parents of our aforementioned niece. We wanted to live in

community and save money, and it has been such a joy for our two families

to live together.

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While we were in the process of buying the house, we were still living in

separate apartments, and I was babysitting my niece while her mom worked.

On one particular day, when it was time to go home my niece burst into more

tears than usual. We had been having so much fun together, and she didn’t

want it to end.

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She was too little to understand, but I was desperate to find a way to

comfort her. Little one, I have good news for you! I said. Pretty soon,

we’ll be living in the same house.

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It really reminded me of Jesus’s promises to us. As Christians, we rest in

two great promises: (1) that Jesus Christ is always with us, constantly

present in our lives, and (2) that He will return someday to make all

things new. Jesus is present with us even on the worst of days through His

Spirit, His Word, and His people. And when Jesus returns bodily to restore

the world, we will dwell forever with Him and our siblings in Christ on the

new heavens and new earth. Then, we will be free from the sadness and

brokenness sin introduced into our world. Free from the heartbreak of

goodbyes.

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In Christ, no matter what we face, we can trust that our future is secure.

Even death can’t separate us from God’s love because our Savior beat sin

and death when He died on the cross and rose from the grave. Now that’s

good news! Aurora Scriver

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What kinds of changes or disappointments have you experienced lately? How

can the promises from today’s reading give you hope for both the future and

the present? (If you want to dig deeper, read John 14:16-23 and Romans

8:38-39.)

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If you want to learn more about what it means to know Jesus, check out

our “Know Jesus” page.

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I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, Look, God’s home is now

among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God

himself will be with them. Revelation 21:3 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Matthew 28:20; Revelation 21:1-Revelation 21:5