Drinking coffee by the pool this morning, I was missing dad and heard a mourning dove.
He/she sat on the power line above our fence in the backyard.
Sorrow reminds us there is a hole in our heart.
A hole that can’t be filled by anyone else.
Missing folks gone from our lives happens in quiet moments.
Here are three relievers to hang onto during sorrow.
1. Phone a friend
The dove’s song reminds me of my phone calls with dad.
Who can I call like that now?
How about a trusted friend? A trusted family member?
Sharing feelings in a meaningful way brings healing and hope for the future.
Why not make regular calls to someone who listens and cares?
2. Remember heaven
The blue sky behind the dove kindled thoughts about heaven.
A poll by Pew Research (11/23/2021) shows that 75% of U.S. adults believe in the afterlife.
Why? I think it’s instinct.
As the existence of hunger presupposes the existence of bread, God would not have created the appetite to eat without bread. In the same way, eternity is a God-given instinct which presupposes the existence of the afterlife.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
Other reasons I believe in the afterlife . . .
- Completion. This life is incomplete and a universal longing for completion exists.
- Justice. This world will never have justice and justice requires that things be made right.
God is not through. He has a place for you and your loved ones.
3. Mourning with hope
Still, the biggest reason I believe in the afterlife is Jesus.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” John 14:1-2
Jesus puts himself right in the middle of the whole experience of dying and entering heaven.
He says there are “many rooms.”
I don’t know where heaven is, but a recent NASA video reminds us that God has plenty of room. Our tiny sun is compared to the location of the biggest black holes. At the end of this short video is TON 618, the largest black hole at 66 billion times the mass of the sun.
You don’t need to be afraid because He who owns the heavens and the earth, indeed, has “many rooms.”
In mourning? Call friends regularly, remember heaven and put your hope in the only one qualified to speak about the other side of death.
Steve, this is wonderful and so true.
Great to hear from you Steve.