It is wonderful to always make new friends, but is is painful to lose the old ones. This summer I had a dream, and in the dream I met one of my old mission friends that in real life was somewhat forgotten-those things happen when your contacts move to another town or another church-. The process of getting older creates in itself some distance, may it be because you do not have the energy to run around like you used to.
In my dream my friend was more than healthy. He had this glow of God’s presence with him, that really spoke to my heart and encouraged me.
So I called him, to tell the dream. It might encourage him.
The sad story was, that he was seriously ill, and I only had the possibility of making 3 tele-calls and pray with him for 2 months, before he went to the Lord. But how precious from God to give this farewell.
God knows how much you long for lasting friendships. In this world that may not be always how it works out, but let us together look for the time that we come to the shore of this great ocean of eternity, where the sun of Jesus’ glory is enough, where there is no tears, no sorrow, but only rejoicing.
Some of my old patients, that I knew for more than 30 years have gone to the Lord also. Quite special to be able to be a spiritual father of the young that stay behind.
And last week, I got a message that one of my great pastor friends in South Africa suddenly went to the Lord, he was 4 years younger than me! It doubled my feelings of loss that I already had in January, when I got message that my great friend Ben Vinke went to the Lord.
South Africa has changed for me. It has lost some of the coziness of the old days, will I ever find joy there again?