Our Loved Ones Within Us

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ~CSB

This time of year is not so good for those of us who have lost a loved one. Especially those of us who have lost a loved one recently. We miss them so much. The weather, the food, the lights of the holidays, all remind us of those good times we will never have with them again. It hurts and we continue to suffer a pain we cannot get rid of.

When we forget the reason why we celebrate this time of year, it is easy to allow our feelings and emotions to get the best of us. We neglect our spiritual feeding of God’s Word and our spirits become weak from starvation. We must always, (especially during this time of year), starve the flesh and feed the spirit. In other words, we must stop feeding our flesh our self pity, stress and sadness. And focus on feeding our spirit with God’s promises.

An example of a great meal for our spirit is found in the book of John. Jesus told Martha that He is responsible for all of us in being able to receive the gift of everlasting life. Without the Word of God in our lives it is hard to find comfort during our times of suffering. But when we stay in verses like these, we find that all we have to do is believe. When we believe that even when we die we live!

What does this mean about our loved ones? It means they live. Just as Jesus Christ lives, (the conquer of death). He has made it possible for our loved ones to live as He does. This means instead of wrapping ourselves in blankets of sadness and sorrow, we must allow our loved ones to live in us. Those of us who lost our mothers; let them live in us and guide us to treat others with love as they did with us. Those who have lost their siblings, let them allow their siblings’ personalities help guide them into making godly decisions on their journey in this world. 

Our loved ones are not lost. They are found and our Father in heaven is taking care of His children. “...Do you believe this?” Jesus asks. If you do, then you accept and embrace our Savior’s words when He says, “...Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die…” Our loved ones may not be with us physically. But let us allow ourselves to believe in the ‘LIFE’ Christ has provided for us. And let our loved ones live in our hearts, making us better Christians through our memories of them.

May God continue to bless and keep you under His umbrella of love and protection as you journey in Jesus’ name.

Amen

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