Lessons From
Animals--"Reunion"
"Jacob looked up and there was
Esau
Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms
around his neck and kissed him. And they wept."
Genesis 33:1a, 4
It had been a long time coming--a little
over half a year--but I finally had the opportunity to see my girls
again. I was in the neighborhood (actually, it was a little out of my
way), and I was excited. I'd thought about them often, and this
day--when it would be time for a
reunion.
Kasey was obviously expecting someone else.
She was on a hill above me, and as she came running into eyesight she
suddenly stopped
who is this strange man I'm looking at?
The memories came back slowly as she cautiously walked up to me and
let me hold and pet her. I imagine for her it was like trying to
recall a dream--bit by bit you begin to remember, and gradually the
fog lifts. I smiled as I noted that some things apparently never
change: Kasey had escaped from her kennel, leaving poor Annie behind.
Interestingly enough, Annie knew me right away (apparently the sight
of me coming to get her, after having been abandoned in the kennel by
Kasey, was enough to immediately trigger the memories). But here we
all were, a happy family reunited.
I had mixed emotions saying goodbye at the
end of the visit. Kasey cried just a little as I walked away, having
put her back in her kennel; now that she remembered me, I was
leaving--again. It was difficult for me to leave, too
but not as
much as I had thought it would be. The girls had obviously made this
their new home; they were happy and content. Hopefully, unlike their
other homes, they will be able to stay there for some
time.
Saying goodbye can sometimes be a very, very
difficult thing. It's even harder if you don't know when you'll see
that person again. The love that we have for others is often most
felt in their absence. Yet "leaving," unfortunately, is a part of
life. Indeed, it becomes an integral part of a relationship with God
as found in the Bible: a man leaves his parents to be united to his
wife; Joseph must leave his home and travel to Egypt; Jonah must
leave his home and travel to Nineveh; Hannah must give up her son
Samuel; Daniel leaves Jerusalem and goes to Babylon; the Apostle Paul
must leave his very heritage. And look at Abraham's experience with
leaving:
Genesis
12:1--The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your
people and your father's household and go to the land I will
show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless
you; I will make your name great, and you will be a
blessing."
It becomes bittersweet: God instructs Abram
(who later becomes Abraham) to leave his country, his people, and his
home. But there is a grand purpose--it is the beginning of a
journey. And not just "one man's" journey; it is the
journey of a nation. And the promise is that this
nation will always have a relationship with God. But part of that
relationship means that God will often ask someone to
leave.
Yet the Bible also tells us that a day will
come when we will experience a reunion: a day when
death will no longer separate us from those we love; a day when there
will be no more "good-byes." Everyone who has ever lived will be
resurrected, brought back to life. Revelation 21:1 - 7
tells us about this day:
Then I saw a
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw
the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her
husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now
the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them.
They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and
be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There
will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for
the old order of things has passed away." He who was
seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then
He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and
true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is
thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of
the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit
all this, and I will be his God and he will be My
son."
Imagine that day! Good friends, long ago
separated, come together once more. Family members are reunited. And
this time, if they so wish, they don't have to say goodbye. For
believers in Jesus Christ, this time the reunion is
eternal.
In Christ,
--Pastor Dan
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Last modified date: January 1, 2018