You know what saying goodbye does? It makes you cry, that’s what. Oh, it doesn’t make you cry? Well, maybe it should. When I’m saying goodbye, if tears don’t well up in my eyes and spill down my cheeks, then I can guarantee that my heart is filling buckets of tears crying on the inside. It’s a real goodbye I’m referring to here- the kind where you’re expecting to be apart from a loved one for an unusual and extended amount of time, the kind where you hug a little longer than normal and squeeze a bit tighter, the heart to heart kind of hug where you feel like just maybe you’re secretly stealing a piece of them to carry around with you in their absence. I first observed this type of goodbye as a small child. My aunt lived clear on the other side of our vast country so when she came home, our world stopped and it was party time the whole time! Oh the silliness that ensued and beautiful memories that are cherished to this day! But eventually it would be time to return her to the airport (where my younger sister spilled her hot chocolate on the floor every single time). The airport was the cue for the waterworks to begin. My Mum used up the most Kleenex by far, and I admire her all the more for it. People who freely allow their emotions to escape out of their eyes are the bravest, in my opinion. We often didn’t know when we might see one another again and that was really hard.
Now fast forward 25+ years and it’s similar to what many of us faced when border restrictions and lockdowns were our reality these past few years. I honestly wondered if we actually would ever see our families again, even mourning our loved ones as a loss at times. That felt unbearable. My eyes threaten to fill with tears even thinking of those times of seemingly unending separation; so close in distance, yet so far away in heart and body. Goodbyes with a return flight date are easier, goodbyes without a future date to look forward to are a bit harder, goodbyes forever down here on earth are almost the hardest, and goodbyes for eternity are unimaginably difficult.
Are airport goodbyes a trigger for you too? I suppose it’s possible to drop someone off at the airport that one isn’t emotionally attached to, but that has not been my experience. Perhaps I should become an airport chauffeur to desensitize myself to the parting that ultimately results in a broken heart, puffy eyes, and a red nose?
Goodbyes aren’t supposed to be easy. Love is sacrifice, it comes with a price. Jesus is “touched with the feelings of our infirmities”; He left His Father to make the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. He came to welcome you into His family, to make it possible for our goodbyes down here to be temporary forever. Whatever type of goodbye you’re facing, there is One waiting to be your comfort. The Comforter has come!
Living Watters 