One of my all time favorite memories is the last week of school, from kindergarten to college graduation, and even more so as a teacher. đ Â Nothing better than work done, and summer vacation almost here! Walking past a school today, I felt that exuberance of anticipation! As I wished that we could have that feeling forever, it dawned on me that perhaps we can.
Although no one knows the exact date they will die, as believers we can and should live as if we are in the final season – like the last week of school. Because of Godâs proven love for us in sending Jesus to suffer and die in our place, and then rise again, the eternal âsummer vacationâ has been scheduled for us by His grace.
In pondering this, several things come to mind:
1. Looking back: Itâs easy to forget how far weâve come, all we’ve learned, the challenges we’ve overcome, the mistakes weâve made, and Godâs faithfulness all along. Pausing to reflect can be a real encouragement, especially if we are in the middle of a discouraging time.
2. Cleaning out: How fun to throw things away that we once thought were so important! The farther along we get in life, the more we realize what truly has value, and what does not.
3. Cherishing relationships: Remember signing yearbooks? All the silly and mushy things we wrote for our friends! In our later seasons of life we come to cherish those who are precious to us, and pray we too will be cherished by others.
4. Finishing up: As in school where there are often last minute tasks to be completed, so in life we have before us things we want to accomplish before we go. I pray the Lord will show me what those things are, and that He will help me complete them successfully. And that I will stay open to the work He wants to complete IN ME as well.
5. Looking forward: Although as finite humans limited to four space-time dimensions we can barely grasp the promises God has given us, He has revealed more than enough to make us feel secure, excited, and hopeful for what He has in store for us. The words of Jesus in the books of John and Revelation remind us that our ultimate graduation – and heavenly summer vacation – is just around the corner. And the best news is that we donât have to go back to school in the fall!
The book Goodbye for Now not only comforts and equips those who have just lost a loved one, but it also has a section about Preparing for Our Own âGoodbye,â which has helpful tips for all of us on things we can do in advance.
