It was on one hot summer day, I was at the water pad with the kids and my friend when I got the call from my cousin in California. “Naomie, she died.” First thought that crossed my mind was is she punking me? It’s not April! “That’s not funny at all dude” and my cousin was like, “this isn’t a prank”. I left the play date and drove home in shock.
“Nao, Pastor died.” My heart just sank. The calls came more often than I wanted it too.
How many times did you get the call during your years of life? How many times did you watch the news and felt like wow this is too much and just had to turn it off?
I found myself crying in my bedroom, wanting to be alone. Thinking about how I could attend the funeral with COVID still running rampant. How do I tell my daughter who grew up with these people, that they are no longer here on earth? If you don’t know me….this is how I think; I could cry for a hours upon hours and then what? I sent my friend a text saying, “Hey, I really hope this is a bad joke. I promise you if you message me, I won’t talk to you for a while.” No response. No more tears came just sadness.
I went to the bible app and searched grieving. Several verses came up, but these two stood out to me, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hinderance and the sin that is so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping out eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12: 1-2.
To think, my friend whom I considered to be such a wise woman of God and my old Pastor, who people thought I was his kid, are dead permanently. Taken at such a young age. But the idea that I’ll see them one day again in heaven, that excites me. I’m not one to dwell too much on the past but I can remember when they would cheer me on in the living, when I was applying to get into a college or cheering me when I made the decision to leave corporate America to lead worship full-time at a church. That is what brings me peace. Remembering and knowing I’ll see them once again and they are still my biggest fans.
One of my favorite lines is in the chorus, it says:
“I’ll get to see you someday, we’ll walk in heaven’s maze, like we’re on holiday
Someday, we’ll look towards sunny days when we can meet again”
In heaven, we all know there’s no sickness, no pain, no heartache, just full time being happy surrounded by loved ones that we knew of or that has paved the road ahead of us in a previous time. But at the center of it all is Jesus. Son of God who came down to earth to become the bridge of love. Because He became the bridge of love, He allowed us to have hope and find security in God the Father.
That’s what I hope, this songs reminds my listeners. If you don’t know God yet, don’t hesitate and don’t wait. We don’t need to grieve like there’s no tomorrow, life is over. Instead we are promised an opportunity to see our love ones again someday in heaven. When God calls us home.
So, start your journey of questioning and finding hope and peace that Jesus provides today. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I may not have all the answers but I sure can try or point you in the right direction.
Naomie Music 