Our time

When someone passes away, we tell each other that maybe "it was just their time to go". We seem to use this as a comfort more than a realisation. But do we really know what that means - "its our time". A lot of the time when we say those words, many of us mean that God took them because it was their time to join Him in heaven but do we really understand that and do we really mean what we say when we say those words?

When God calls us to do something we humbly obey and follow his guidance which always ends in joy and success. As Christians, we believe and often express our excitement to join the Lord again in heaven but when the time arrives, we get scared, worried and sad. This confuses me. If we spend our life, no matter how long or short it is, expressing our joy to meet Him again, then why do we get scared and sad. Isn't this what we have been working towards our whole life on earth? Eternal life with the Lord?

This Thursday was Ascension Day and we celebrate it by having a special mass hearing about Jesus' rising into heaven. I often wonder how we would feel if we or the people around us sees our soul rise to heaven when we pass away. Would we still be sad or would it give us joy and/or peace knowing that our loved one's soul is going where we believe it to be?

To me, I can only imagine the scene when Jesus rose. I imagine tears being spent and then all of a sudden bright light showers the skies as Jesus ascends into heaven and the light stops the tears and showers their grief with peace and love, helping them know that even though it was Jesus' time to leave them, He will always be filled with joy, peace and love in heaven. An awesome sight!

On the flip side, I can't imagine if one of our loved one's souls goes the other way. Would that be dark and depressing for the soul and us? But yet, would it also still give us peace in "knowing"? We are very much a "see it to believe it" society and I wonder if this also gets in the way of our faith, of believing in the "unseen"?

Honestly, what I think it comes down to, is we know it happens because God shows us with Jesus and we just have to keep having faith that God knows and that is all that really matters at the end of the day. 

The Bible tells us that their is a time for everything, that God has a plan for each of us and we are in His book. We just have to keep trusting that He knows what's best for us, when He needs us to join Him and be filled with His joy, peace and love.