>So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. (Deuteronomy 34:5-8, ESV)

You have to move on. You have to let things go.

I don’t mean to be insensitive to feelings and loss, but, you know, people die. They’ve been doing it since the beginning, and they’ll keep doing it until the end of this realm of existence. One reason we allow our children to keep pets — dogs and cats and hamsters and lizards and turtles and birds and such — is, or ought to be, because it gives them a chance to learn about death. They learn that, in the words of Pogo Possum, “Life ain’t NOhow permanent;” that loss hurts, but isn’t fatal; that we continue to live when someone we love dies.

Anyway, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Ever been in a home where they keep “the untouched bedroom”, the one where nothing has been changed since the day its occupant died? Or watched as a friend or acquaintance lived their days in the shadow of loss? Some folks just won’t leave it behind. I feel a strong sympathy for the parent who loses a child or spouse far too early in life; I don’t mean to diminish the sense of loss when a loved one goes home. But there also comes a sense of irritation with that person who won’t let go. Do we somehow think that the one who is gone from us is honored by a refusal to move through life without him or her . . . that they would WANT us to get stuck in a certain time and not live our lives? It’s especially frustrating when it’s a Christian who won’t stop the mourning, as though Jesus were wrong when he talked about eternity and renewal and life and hope.

There comes a time when you have to move on, to stop clinging. And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. It’s not just true of losing loved ones. It’s true of losing leaders, teachers, jobs, situations, and so much more. The job you loved that you’re not in anymore. The preacher who meant so much who’s moved on, for whatever reason. The girlfriend/boyfriend that promised to never leave you, just before he/she broke your heart.

Let it go. Life moves ahead. Move with it. Pogo was wrong — in God, life IS permanent. It doesn’t stop, just because we come to an end here.

Tomorrow’s readings — Ecclesiastes 2:18-23; Joshua 1; Zephaniah 1:1 – 2:3; Matthew 12