John 14:28, “You have heard Me say to you, I am going away and coming back to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice…”

I’ll be the first to admit that I have mixed emotions when I read this. I understand what Jesus meant, but I also understand how the disciples felt. Saying goodbye is not easy on any level. Since we lived away from our families for many years, walking out the door knowing it would probably be several weeks before we saw them again was never easy.

I was blessed to have good jobs before I began full-time ministry, and walking away from the friends I made at each place often signaled an end. I knew that we may never see each other again. This was never truer than when I entered full-time ministry. When ministry calls you to move, you add relationships, but you also know that the next time you see some of the people who were so close to you may be at a funeral.

Death is the most difficult goodbye, even under the best of circumstances, especially when it comes to family. While we know it is an inevitable part of life, life changes forever when you say goodbye to parents, siblings, spouses, children, grandparents, and all those who were a part of your life from the time you were born.

Jesus told His disciples that He was going away, but He would come back. It is that blessed hope of His return and the reunion with our loved ones who have preceded us in death that fills our hearts with joy. Who we love doesn’t end at the grave. The destination of our meeting will be different. We won’t walk into the earthly homes and relive yesterday, although they do live on in our memories; now our hearts begin to focus on “our long home.” Death is a doorway to heaven and all that our heavenly Father has prepared for us, including a reunion with our loved ones, and that makes my heart happy.