Dealing with A Mother's Death

QUESTION: Dealing with a mother's death - Will I see her again?

ANSWER:

Dealing with a mother's death is one of the most emotional and painful experiences that the human condition may require us to do. To most children, the mother is the focus of a great part of their formation years.

Death is separation and when we are separated from a loved one such as a mother, the question always arises about whether or not we will see that departed one again. In dealing with a mother's death and indeed any separation caused by death, there is hope found in the Word of God. "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 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" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). This speaks to the fact that those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior will return with Him.

What happens when we are unsure if our loved one has trusted in the Lord Jesus and whether they have "fallen asleep in Him"? There is a passage found in the Old Testament that has brought me much comfort in that regard. My own mother passed from this world on Valentine's Day in 1983. I know that she received the Gospel because I shared it with her many times.

The year before she died, I sat with her and questioned her about her personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus. She never really gave me an answer. There was a whole year before she died that I did not have the opportunity to speak with her again. A dear friend of mine gave me the following Scripture. "Far be it from you to do such a thing - to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25).

The comfort that I find in this passage is the phrase, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right." God looks upon the heart of man and He and He alone can judge their motives and attitudes. Therefore, I know my mother had the truth and I can have hope that she may have accepted it. If she did not, then my Lord is still a just and loving God because she was given ample chance to do so. God is always just and righteous and He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

The way for us to make sure our own reunion with those who have passed in faith before us is to make sure of our own salvation. Each of us needs to accept reconciliation with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We can find comfort in the confidence born of faith that we will be "like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). And if we shall see Him, then we shall also see all those who have passed before us and who died with that same faith and confidence in His resurrection.

Lastly, the wonderful hope of heaven is the "no mores" that we will enjoy. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4). That comfort means we will not have any sorrow over those we may not see again. We do not understand the way it will be, but this promise is one that should bring the believer comfort in dealing with a mother's death. One day, if we trust in God, all the sorrow and the tears will be gone.