Goodbyes and Hellos 道别和重逢
Dexu Xia
Goodbyes and Hellos
God himself will be with them and be their God. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 21:3–4
When my brother David suddenly died of cardiac failure, my perspectives on life changed dramatically. Dave was the fourth of seven children, but he was the first of us to pass—and the unexpected nature of that passing gave me much to ponder. It became apparent that as age began to catch up with us, our family’s future was going to be marked more by loss than by gain. It was going to be characterized as much by goodbyes as hellos.
None of this was a surprise intellectually—that is just how life works. But this realization was an emotional lightning bolt to the brain. It gave a fresh, new significance to every moment life gives us and every opportunity time allows. And it placed a huge new value on the reality of a future reunion, where no goodbyes will ever be needed.
This ultimate reality is at the heart of what we find in Revelation 21:3–4: “God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Though today we may find ourselves experiencing seasons of long goodbyes, our trust in Christ’s death and resurrection promises an eternity of hellos.
How do you cope with grief and the loss of loved ones? What comfort does it bring to know that you will one day see them again?
Father, I thank You that You’re the living God who gives everlasting life. I pray that You would use our eternal hope to comfort us in our seasons of loss and grief.
道别和重逢
上帝要亲自与他们同在，作他们的上帝。上帝要擦去他们一切的眼泪。—启示录21章3-4节
我哥哥大卫因心脏衰竭突然过世，使我的人生观产生了巨大的改变。我们家有七个兄弟姐妹，大卫排行老四，但他却是我们之中第一个过世的。当时他的意外猝死让我反复思考了很多事。当然，随着年龄的增长，我们家未来会面对更多亲人离世，而较少迎接新生命的到来，道别的机会也会像问候那样多。
从理智的层面来看，这种情况绝对不会令人讶异，因为这就是人生。但在情感上却是沉重的打击，使我对有限生命中的每时每刻和每个机会，都有全新的体会。同时，也让我更向往将来永恒的相聚，在我们未来的重聚中，将永远都不必道别。这最终要实现的就是启示录21章3-4节的核心：“上帝要亲自与他们同在，作他们的上帝。上帝要擦去他们一切的眼泪。不再有死亡，也不再有悲哀、哭号、疼痛，因为以前的事都过去了。”
虽然，今日我们可能正经历亲人辞世的伤痛，但对信靠基督的人来说，祂的受死与复活让我们在永恒中有重聚的机会，可再次彼此问候，永不需要道别。
你如何面对失去亲人的悲伤和失落？
知道有一天还会与他们相见，如何使你得安慰呢？
天父，谢谢祢，祢是永活的上帝，并赐给我们永生。
当我们因痛失至亲而哀伤时，恳求祢以永恒的盼望安慰我们。