There come, immediately following the death of a loved one, those moments of peace afforded those in grief, when sorrow has yet to sink in. But sorrow does come, and with it will come the questions, and perhaps even a sense of dismay…”This isn’t fair! Why did she have to go, and leave me here alone, at a time when I need her more than ever?” A kind and loving Heavenly Father is not offended by such expressions of grief. Surely His heart is made tender by such emotions, for not all are like unto Job, who uttered with heart a breaking: ” the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (1)
I don’t know the answer to why loved ones leave when they do, nor even how to comfort a heart breaking with sorrow. I do remember the courage in public my father showed upon the death of my mother, whom he dearly loved. I also remember hearing his sobs during the night time when he thought I could not hear him. It is my belief that it is in the wisdom of our God to allow sorrow, that we might in a future day experience love and joy beyond measure.
This I do know of a surety; comfort will come. At some point, however long it takes, comfort will come, for the Lord has promised, “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live ye shall live also.” (2) Comfort will come, for this He has promised, but one will not forget.
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and stanch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair;
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.
“Now, don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don’t you make any noise!”
So, toddling off to his trundle-bed,
He dreamt of the pretty toys;
And, as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue—
Oh! the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place—
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face;
And they wonder, as waiting the long years through
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue,
Since he kissed them and put them there.” (3)
It is my privilege to labor in the sacred confines of a sealing room in the House of the Lord. I testify that oft times the veil is very thin. Perhaps it does not exist. The joy those beyond the veil feel in reunion cannot be measured nor confined. It is real! There is no death, there is only a temporary separation.
God bless you, you whom I love. He has not left you alone. That which we presently do not understand will be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. There will come one day a glorious resurrection, and a reunion most dear. After a long night of sorrow and longing, the morning light will burst through the clouds, and a fullness of joy will come, in a glory beyond description. Of this humbly testify, in the hallowed name of Jesus Christ, amen.
(1) Job 1:21
(2) John 14: 18,19
(3) “Little Boy Blue” Eugene Field