Many times in my life sadness said hello, but the worst was always over a goodbye. It was during my time of contemplating things when I suddenly felt the urge to google the origin of the word ‘goodbye’. Why does it have to have the word ‘good’ when it actually brought sadness. What so good about sadness? What’s the good in ‘goodbye’?

So I managed to find the origin of ‘goodbye’ and surprisingly it was actually the short version of ‘God be with ye’. From time to time the phrase got influenced from ‘good day’ and ‘good evening’ and it’s finally transitioned to ‘goodbye’. Knowing its origin then I thought, it shouldn’t be that bad after all, the ‘goodbye’.

I dug deeper and tried to find the reason why people can be so sad when they say ‘goodbye’. Goodbye could mean loneliness and separation, but I came to an answer of why the sadness and separation in goodbye are excruciating for most people. Am I wrong to answer it like this: because goodbye always means changes, and changes change people. When we lose someone close and important to us, everything is changing. Our routines are different. Our views of lives are different. And aren’t we all agree that changes have never been easy and doing things that we already know is always more comfortable? Indeed. But will we ever grow when we reject changes? I’ll let you answer the last question quietly in your heart.

I have learned that it is fine to be sad and to cry, God created emotion anyway. But to stay in that situation and host a pity party is definitely (I believe and am sure) not a part of God’s plan for you. God can use everything and everybody in this world to make you grow and I believe that is what He is trying to do when He lets goodbye greet you once in a while. It is actually a moment He created to give you a chance to grow, to embrace your greater blessings in a new way, new thing, new knowledge.

I’ve experienced so many farewell that really broke my heart, some even caused me pain that seemed unbearable. I was so hard-headed, hard-hearted and angry that everything didn’t happen as I planned it. Grief often blinded us from seeing a bigger plan God has made for us. We choose to stay helpless and hopeless and even worse sometimes we also enjoyed the pity look other people gave us during that situation.

Know this: keep on moving don’t stay still and be happy being miserable. We are too overwhelmed with grace to be miserable. God didn’t let you born in this world to be miserable. Miserable is not available in our dictionary when we are too busy being joyful while embracing God’s grace.

Changes are necessary so that we grow wiser and stronger. Changes happened, are happening and will always happen in the future. But my soul will be still. My heart will rejoice. And that is all because I know God equipped me enough to be so. And majorly because of this verse:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrew 13:8 (ESV)

The world may change. But my Lord Jesus: He will love me and take care of me forever, and I’ll be just great.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend, friends!