It's Not Goodbye

It seems like I have had to say goodbye quite a bit in my life. It is part of the job for a military family. We've said goodbye to family, we've said goodbye to friends. However yesterday we said goodbye to our church family at Meherrin and I have come to the conclusion that saying goodbye to a church where you have pastored is its own special kind of goodbye.

Josh and I have spent the last seven years getting to know these people in a unique way. We have learned together. We have grown together. We have held their hands as they battled disease, stood in silent support as they said goodbye to loved ones. We have prayed for them through relationship struggles, through financial struggles, through illness, through lostness. We have eaten with them. We have laughed with them. We have cried with them. We have loved them.

And none of that has changed.

That's the precious heartache of the situation we are in. We are not leaving Meherrin because we are unhappy here. We are not leaving because we no longer love the people here. We are leaving because God has called us elsewhere, and we want to be obedient to that call. We know that if God has called us to be elsewhere, then He has something else planned for Meherrin. And we would never want to stand in the way of that.

So we say goodbye to this precious church family. A church family that has loved us as much as we have loved them. People who do not want to see us go, but will still pray us through the process. People who do not want us to leave but will bring boxes to help us move and gift cards so we will be fed on the journey and snacks for our boys to take in the car. I hug their necks and the memories are so strong it takes my breath away.

I know that I will not see many of these people again this side of eternity. But oh the goodness of God's grace, that I know with confidence one day we will see each other again in the presence of our Savior. It gives my heart such peace in this time. So I guess it's like so many have said. It's not goodbye. It's see you later.