Separation

I'm tired of separation.  Growing up as a missionary I became used to separation.  Family was far away, and we were only able to see them every few years.  Often friends would leave us to go back to America or England on Permanent Return. Those were always hard separations. When I got back to America, there were still many sad separations, granted, not as often. 

There have been two separations that have been extremely difficult for me recently: first, my boyfriend has been living in Norway for the past year, and second, my sister (aka, my best friend) and brother-in-law left for a two year mission to Ethiopia in May. 

Sometimes I feel that I can never be with everyone that I love, at the same time.  I wonder why it has to be this way.  As I was pondering over this, I realized that Jesus knows what it is like to be separated. He has been through the same situation as I have. He was separated from the people he loved, almost immediately after creation.  When He came down to be with His people, He was separated from His loving Father. When He went back to heaven, He had to endure separation from His people again. He has always maintained contact with us (and His Father) by prayer, just like I email or talk to Robby and Petra often, but it isn't the same as being with someone. 

The good thing is that the story doesn't end there. Jesus promises to come back for us and to take us to heaven (John 14:1-3), that we can live all together as one happy family.  Then no one will be separated any longer. We will all be together with Jesus, the Father, and our friends. There will be no more goodbyes, no more lonely hearts, no more tears. No separation ever again!  Ever!