During the months of June and July 2025, my husband and I experienced the physical death of our first cousin Albert and sister-in-law Stephanie. Cousin Albert and sister-in-law Stephanie transitioned from life into eternal life in Jesus. All of our families and many friends will miss them both and always cherish them. We will remember and find comfort in the wonderful times we shared with our loved ones.
I am sharing with you these very personal events in my life because I know that death is an issue that both Christians and non-Christians will experience. And, I want to encourage those who may be going through a similar situation with the Living Word of God.
When our loved one dies, we are filled with grief because physical death is foreign to us and was never a part of God’s original plan for Mankind. However, the Holy Bible tells us that even though we will miss our loved one, we should not sorrow without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). And, Christians do not sorrow without hope because those individuals who die in the Lord shall live forevermore (John 11:25-26).
If you are a Christian and your loved one knew Jesus as their Savior and Lord, we can be sure that we will see him or her again in the eternal hereafter. We can have comfort and peace knowing that he or she is in a better place rejoicing with the Lord in no more pain or suffering (Revelation 21:4). As a result of physical death, man’s spirit returns to our Heavenly Father into eternal life (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
It is okay to cry and go through the process of grieving which takes time to heal. However, always remember in Whom we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28)—Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God! Death has no authority over God’s children. Jesus conquered death and the grave on our behalf!
This is how God sees those who die in Jesus. God says that His children have fallen asleep. In the natural when we fall asleep, we wake up refreshed and rested to take on the next day’s assignments. This is exactly what takes place in the spirit realm for us Christians. We wake up in glory renewed and ready to take on the eternal assignments our Heavenly Father has for us to do (1 Corinthians 15:20, Ephesians 5:14).
Family-in-Christ, know this: in Jesus we can receive comfort and peace that will sustain us through bereavement, knowing that joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5, 2 Corinthians 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:3-9).
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