“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18

Have you ever been hurting and had someone tell you, “Oh, you’ll be alright.”? Makes you just want to punch them in the face, doesn’t it?

The fact is, death is an unavoidable part of our existence. If the Lord does not return during our lifetime, we will lose more loved ones and eventually each of us will die as well. That is a harsh reality that causes the deepest kind of pain.

If we simply think with an earthly perspective, we will never “get over” the loss of a loved one. Our human experience alone cannot “get us through the process.”

However, we do have a source of comfort – God’s word. In particular, the doctrine of the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ is the only source of true comfort we can have when faced with ultimate loss.

When death invades our lives, our only source of comfort is a promised Comforter. The doctrine of the resurrection reminds us that our loved ones are already with Jesus and this is not a final goodbye. It is but a “Farewell, I’ll meet you in the morning!”