When loved ones pass on

One of the most difficult human experiences to go through can be the passing on of a loved one. A spouse, a child, a parent, a very close sibling or friend, can become fixtures in our lives that we never imagine not being there. Yet, one day, they are not physically with us any longer.

The passing could be from old age, or, in less fortunate circumstances, from accident, illness, war or even crime.


I’ve noticed that some people handle these changes much better than others, and I’ve been thinking through some of the reasons why.


In my own prayers for peace on this issue, I find my greatest protection against overbearing grief about loss comes from knowing that life is eternal, and that we’re all living our eternal life now. No one ever dies or passes on. Our loved ones always were spiritual, and they continue to be spiritual. And we are united with them in Spirit, now and always. This eternal union never changes or dissolves, ever.


Any seeming sense of separation is not a reality, but a false belief that the person we loved was material and capable of dying in the first place. But this is not true! We’re all spiritual and always have been.


I think about how Jesus prepared his followers for his eventual leaving earth as a physical presence. He told them, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”


Think of how attached his disciples could have become to the physical Jesus. Jesus was super special. He worked miracles. He transformed their lives in major positive ways. He healed them. He raised their children from the dead. He restored crippled lives to wholeness. He truly was an irreplaceable person to know. Yet, soon, he would be gone. Yet, he would not be gone, according to his teachings. Jesus told them he would still be with them.


How could this be?


He meant spiritually. He was telling them that his individuality was not in a physical body, but in the Christ he reflected and manifested. He lifted their thought higher to the spiritual reality of his individuality. He was telling them to not get attached to a physical body. And he reassured them that if they stayed clear on this vital point, they would not miss him after he ascended. They would draw even closer to him, for he would still be with them in a very tangible concrete form. And as it turned out, he was. The Holy Ghost, or Christ, moved the disciples to even greater works as recorded in the book of Acts.


This lesson of not getting attached to a physical body applies to our loved ones.


They are not material bodies with temporal lives. They are expressions of God, living manifestations of Christ, reflecting the love and goodness of God in their own unique special way--and forever! This truth about their individuality never changes. They do not die. They do not leave us. They do not depart to another realm. They are always with us in Christ, in Spirit, where they’ve always lived.


Understanding this truth helps me greatly when I think about the safety of my family members. Any fear of loss that suggests itself, I immediately reverse with the truth that there is no loss in Spirit, that each member is a spiritual idea of God, forever safe in Mind, where there are no accidents, no injuries, disease or death, no coming and going, no passing, and no loss. I practice seeing them spiritual now! I do not give mortal mind a chance to suggest loss at a later date.


In seeing them spiritual now I find great peace about their safety and permanence in my life. It also draws me closer to them because I’m honoring who they really are. They are not finite mortal bodies with a temporal shelf-life. They are eternal spiritual beings, just like me. And we are inseparable in divine Love, the one Mind that unites all in one grand family.


How have you found peace about the permanence of loved ones in your life?