No More Goodbyes

The last two days I've been out of town with project ARC on a road trip. This was the end of our 2012-13 season, and the end of my run with the show as I'm not returning in the fall. Our trip was so much fun! We performed at two schools, spent the night in cottages on the ocean, had a rowdy two and a half hour game of Apples to Apples (which I happened to win at the bitter end), ate way too much food, stayed up way too late, drove all over the place, went cosmic bowling, toured an old theatre, took a million goofy pictures (and embarassing videos!), had a few hour-long theology discussions, laughed and, at the end, cried. We had so much fun, grew even closer together and finally had to say some painful goodbyes. A lot of us aren't coming back next year. We said this didn't mean goodbye forever, but one boy's moving back to Africa in July, others are attending schools an hour away, and this will be goodbye to this cast and this time of our life and these strong relationships.

I'm really happy there will be no more goodbyes in heaven. When there are no more tears and no more sadness and no more not-coming-back's. When time won't matter. When everyone will be united by Christ and joined together in love and worship.

Right now, with this short time on earth, everything's broken. Our relationships, our goodbyes, our tears and our pain. But one day, this won't be. One day, the Fall's effects will no longer effect us. And I look forward to that day with eager anticipation! I don't want to say goodbye anymore, cry anymore, say I'm not coming back anymore. I want the brokenness to be healed. And I know it will - when Christ returns and brings in His new kingdom. That will be a good day - a day when there's no more goodbyes.