No More Tears

Revelation 21:4 -- "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." 

It was fitting that the rain kept falling. I woke to the bubbling sound of fat drops rolling down the gutter and onto the garden stones outside. I was thinking of my friend and what she must be going through now that one of her loved ones is gone.

Loss is not something I have ever been able to handle well. It goes beyond the pain of an empty spot on this earth - where a loved one's feet used to trod. I'm just not good at comfort. I never know what to say and I'm a terrible friend when loss is involved. 

I suppose that would be why I clam up at the thought that a friend just lost a person they love very much. I can say the words I'm sorry, I can say that I'm praying as you and your family struggle to put the loved one to rest and strengthen each other when the empty spot feels too big to handle. And all of these things are true, but I seem to be at a complete loss when it comes to REAL comfort. When I read the verse for today: Revelation 21:4 - I found comfort by the ONE who can really offer it.

We know that we who are in Christ, need but suffer the loss of our dear ones for a short time. We know we will see them again. That still leaves the issue of the empty spot - but in Revelation we are reminded that there will be a day when the tears will no longer fall. Oh death, where is thy sting? Jesus will wipe away every tear and there will no longer be death, there will no longer be mourning. Pain and crying will pass away. We can revel in the joy of being face to face with our Savior AND being able to embrace loved ones that left this earth before us. 

So as the tears fall down our cheeks when we remember the bright smile of some one dear to us, and realize that we shall not witness that brightness while we breath physically down here on this planet, we CAN know that we have victory over death in Jesus Christ. And we can cling to the hope that one day, there will be no more loss. There will be no more tears. There will be no more empty spots that feel so very lonely.