To be continued….whether those words follow a tv show or a heavy conversation…we know we have to wait. And the wait can seem to take forever!

I was at a celebration of life recently for a family member of a dear friend. The story was told that every time this family member would say goodbye to someone she would say, “this is not goodbye. This is ‘I’ll see you later’.” As the pastor was retelling that story he repeated that…and then he said, “this is not goodbye….it’s…to be continued”! I’ve never considered that translation for ‘I’ll see you later’ or ’til we meet again’ but when you know Jesus as your Savior…it really is – to be continued!

Saying goodbye is a very hard thing to do. We don’t want to be separated from the ones we love. It’s one of the hardest parts of this life. But, what a great celebration when we are reunited in heaven! Instead of thinking of it as goodbye…we can say…to be continued. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 gives us this hope: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.”

Because of Jesus we have all of eternity to anticipate with the ones we love. Let that thought encourage you today and bring you hope.