Sentiment Corner: When You Have to Say Goodbye

I know it is months away, but this is something that has been on my heart since I first realized fully that we would be moving. Moving across the ocean. Not just moving to another town, or another state, but moving across the ocean to another country. Sure, there is Skype and phone calls and Facebook chat for when you miss people. And unlike 200 years ago, I don’t have to wait to hear from loved ones for months at a time. But being apart from your family is still hard.

Just to get this out of the way, I don’t intend for this to be a pity-poor-me post. I am excited about going to a new place and meeting friends and learning a new culture, but that doesn’t take away the feeling of loss that comes with saying goodbye when you move.

As an independent person, it is hard knowing that places will change and we will have to navigate somewhere new.

As a friend, it hurts knowing that people will move away and I won’t always be able to see them when I come home.

As an adventurer, it is bittersweet knowing that the start of a new adventure can mean saying goodbye to those you love and old adventures.

As a sister, and grandchild, and child, it hurts knowing that when I say goodbye, it could be for the last time in years, or ever. This is always the case, but it becomes more emotional when I know I can’t just come back and say “hey” whenever I jolly-well please.

As a mom, it hurts knowing that my children will not grow up near their grandparents and great-grandparents.

These things all weigh heavy on my heart as we begin to evaluate the logistics of moving. Things that, before now, we have taken for granted are now so precious to us. Soon we won't be able to stop in to see family and they won't be able to stop in and see us. And this is what we are choosing to do? Take our twins, and only a few possessions, to the other side of the world to live? Of our own free will? We must be absurd. We are probably insane. And as our Psychologist put it, "you guys are just crazy enough to do this." I've come to the understanding that it takes someone crazy to follow Jesus. 

I look at Matthew 10:37-39 in a new way now that I am physically leaving my family and friends for the unknown.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

While this command will not present itself exactly in others’ lives as it has in my life and the life of my family, it has become very real to me. In order to find my life [Jesus], I will lose all that I have known. In losing my life to Christ’s will for my life, I will find life. So yeah, it sounds a little bit crazy.

Jesus never promised that saying goodbye to family and close friends would be easy or even natural, but He did say that in losing all that we hold dear, we would find Him.

And so we are going somewhere new, leaving behind all that we know in order to enthusiastically serve the Lord in the ministries He has called us to. We're saying goodbye, and it's crazy, and there's emotional pain, but in the end it takes losing ourselves to follow Jesus. We are willing to take that risk.