A friend of mine was talking with Jack Hayford a few weeks ago. Jack’s lovely wife, Anna, had passed away after they shared 62 years of marriage and 60 years together in ministry. My friend posted a single sentence on his Facebook wall from that meeting with Jack. The words were so profound they stunned me. When asked about how he was doing after the passing of his wife, Jack responded, “I am alone, but not lonely.”
The only way someone could say such words is to have cultivated a lifelong intimacy with Jesus Christ. That kind of intimacy with God manifests both its comfort and its power when someone is experiencing one of this life's greatest sorrows, the passing of a spouse. Intimacy with God does not allow them to be overwhelmed with that passing because their sense of union with God is deeper than the depths of any sorrow they may experience.
As you cultivate your relationship with a spouse, your children or your best friend make sure that you cultivate your deepest relationship with God. This is the only relationship that will endure forever without the possibility of death or failure. Yes, you will mourn the physical death of a loving relationship like Jack Hayford did when Anna walked into eternity. Being able to appropriately mourn is part of being an emotionally and spiritually healthy person. God promises to fill these painful voids with His presence. If you have cultivated an intimate relationship with Jesus when someone you love departs or a relationship falls apart, you will be able to echo the words of Jack Hayford, “I am alone, but not lonely”.
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