#254 Reunion

Last time I blogged about reading The Chronicles of Narnia with Lanie. Lanie LOVED the ending of the series when all the main characters from the seven books are reunited again. I think C.S. Lewis does a wonderful job of envisioning the new creation and God's people spending eternity together with Him, and Lewis does this in a way that makes sense to children. Right now it's Eastertime, so I think it's only natural that I've been reflecting on eternal life lately. Eternal life is one the great assurances Christians receive from Jesus' resurrection. As Lewis captures so wonderfully, part of the beauty of the Christian story is that it doesn't truly end. The return of Jesus and coming of the new creation is only the beginning. And, as in The Chronicles of Narnia, all of God's people will be together again. I'm sure our relationships will be somehow different when we live face-to-face with God in perfection, but we'll all be there forever.

I can't say that I can really envision what that reunion will be like, but it sure sounds fantastic. At this point I'm still pretty young. Most of the people who've made an impact on my life are still alive. But even now I'm separated from a lot of people who are very dear to me. I've moved a couple times since my school days, leaving quite a few friends and family members in different places, and many of them have gone elsewhere as well. Truth be told, I'm a terrible long-distance friend. I'd like to think I'm a decent local friend, but I struggle to stay in touch with people who live a ways away, people I don't get to see somewhat regularly. I don't do social media, and the occasional text message or even video chat never feels like the real thing. So outside of a few visits here and there when one of us is traveling, I don't see a lot of people whom I would really enjoy frequently spending time with. I should try to do better here and now, but when schedules just don't work out or visits are too short, it's comforting to know that reunion is coming. In Christ we'll be together again, and one day there won't be any more good-byes.

Grace and peace,

BMH