“Do not be afraid of discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT

Saying goodbye is one of the most challenging things a person can experience. I personally think both receiving it and giving it are equally hard.

When I was younger, my neighbor and I hung out everyday. We were either in her basement playing a game or we were outside running around. I don’t even know how many years we were friends but it was to the point where she felt like a sister to me. Around fourth grade, my parents decided to move and I had to find a way to tell her I was leaving. It was one of those awkward conversations where you have to say something but you don’t want to ruin the moment. So of course, being my awkward self, I decided to just casually say something like “ha I love your house so much. The house that I’m moving to in Omaha is also very cool”. I tried to be subtle with it but in the end it still hurt. After moving to Omaha, we stayed connected. We became those lucky people who can go without seeing each other for years but can still have a great conversation.

Not all goodbyes turn out that way, because there are many different types of goodbyes we encounter throughout life. I have had goodbyes where I would never see or hear from them again and those really sucked. Those kind of goodbyes are the worst because when someone you know and love just decides to walk out of your life makes it hard to comprehend. One kind of goodbye that we all encounter at some point is death, and it’s one that is really hard for me to comprehend.

A couple of days ago, a guy from my high school died. I didn’t know who it was until later that night. When I found out, my jaw dropped to the floor and my heart sunk. It is one of the weirdest feelings to know that someone you use to talk to is now gone. It’s crazy to me. I got to know Blake really well early on in high school. Throughout the years, I could see his growth in school and in his relationship with God. Comprehending his death and accepting it are key parts to saying goodbye in this situation. If you can’t comprehend it, you can’t accept it.

We are human, and humans are temporary. We come and go, but lucky for us, God doesn’t. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” God never fails us and he is always there. He will never leave us or forsake us. In Deuteronomy 31:8 (shown above), tells us that even when we are in times of fear or dismay, He is always with us. He will step in front of us as our shield and He will be behind us to watch our backs. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says that “for everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven”. So know that even if saying goodbye really hurts right now, it is meant to happen. God brings someone into your life and guides them out of your life for a reason. I’m not saying that everyone you meet will leave. I’m just saying that people who leave are meant to leave at that moment in time. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there is a time for everything and he has planned it all: “A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest….A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance….A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.”

I know that I am in a season of saying goodbye and maybe you are too. We just have to put one foot in front of the other and if we fall, God will catch us. I believe in you, but if you need help, reach out to me and I will be there for you!

Much Love,

Emily xoxo

(p.s. did you like my pumpkin? I carved it myself, with a little help of course)