I don’t think there was a time that I didn’t shed a tear when watching soldier homecomings. The ones where they surprise their loved ones and embrace each other after time spent apart. There is something beautiful about coming home and reuniting with those nearest and dearest. It gets me thinking about how beautiful our homecoming will be someday in heaven with God and our loved ones. That’s an embrace that will be like none other. A homecoming that will be the ultimate and most beautiful one. For when that time comes there will be no time apart. Just a forever family reunion where there are no more goodbyes. Though I’m in no rush to get there yet, nor do I want my loved ones there yet; I know that it’ll be a wonderful occasion, when that time comes. Friend, we must walk with God here and not spend time away from Him. For with Him, is the hope for forever with Him and our loved ones. When that big day comes, I imagine that there will be happy tears. They will fall in ways of joy, we have only yet to fully experience. What a day that’ll be!

Erin Fitts-Brower 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.