Good-bye

In Hebrew hello and good-bye mean the same thing......... SHALOM.   But some how that feels all wrong. 

While visiting my father in law in North Carolina my husband and kids went to a church.  Toward the end of the service they had a young man come up for prayer.  He would soon be saying good-bye to his new bride........He was military......

On that same stage was another military man.  He had just came home.  His new baby girl was being dedicated to God.  He said good-by to his unit.....

I began to consider all the good-bye's that we go through in our lives.....

See you later I love you....Good-bye's. The easiest good-bye's are the planned ones.  Yes, they warm our hearts and propel us forward in life too connection..


Then there are the good-bye's that are never said......but we hear loud and clear.....

Moments in life when good-bye is the best thing too do but the hardest to achieve....ask an addict....

Let's not forget the good-bye's that burn like a hot iron in your soul.  They are unplanned and deliver a blow on impact and leave you needing air...... a death of a loved one.....a betrayal....a father's love.....a sister you can never have time with...

I will soon say good bye to a friend...tonight we will have dinner together....just the 4 of us. 
He will leave.....he is military.....and I am not good at good-bye's.

Last supper.  How did the disciples feel saying good-bye to Jesus?  A brutal pain I am sure.  They shared meals,life, good times, bad times, and LOVE. It would be a good-bye to their earthy relationship...

JESUS

Jesus says to them in John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. That is what He does for us if we invite him.

In the hodgepodge of good-byes .......

Jesus is there....

Maybe there is Hello in Good-bye........Shalom

The Donut Man

Funny.....How I can sit in church and listen to my pastor talk about how loving others is important. And how this is the second greatest commandment Jesus gives us.........

Easy too......when the person you love is loving you back......When they hear you, see you, validate you....

But what if.....

One of my favorite places to visit everyday is Dunkin Donuts. I usually go in the mornings after I drop my kids off at school.  I listen to K-Love on the radio.  Nothing beats K-Love and a cup of hot coffee.....

Right...

That is unless you go at night. Which I did.  And the donut man was there.  I have seen him and heard him.  I have seen his eyes roll and heard his sighs of irritability as I place my order........

Well, this night his sighs threw me and HURT me....so I SIGHED LOUDER and said in my Indignant voice......NEVER MIND and I drove away.....

And then everything was cold.   My heart cold........

Yes it is easy to love when we are being loved back.  But I was not loving.  Real Love is not trying to press someone to response to you the way YOU need them to.  Loving is beautifully hard sometimes and a gently reminder of how Jesus loves us.  His love  flows freely......lavished on us.......endless......its captivating and we don't deserve it.  Jesus was pressed..to the cross.... with nails for ME because he loves me......

Yes, the Donut Man and Me have a lot in common.  We are both broken....but brokenness does not escape GOD'S LOVE