Throughout our lives, we begin to realize that no one is promised "tomorrow". We feel that some people die too young and that some people were still needed here. Losing people hurts no matter how old you are or how many people you have lost. We just have to remember that God has a purpose for everything he does and for every life that ends.
We are never prepared to have someone plucked from our life. Someone can be sick for years, but we are never quite really at peace with letting them go. I had a friend who was in the hospital for about a week after an awful car accident with almost a zero percent chance to live, but at 17 I still wasn't prepared to hear the words ,"She's gone." I knew from the day of the accident that she was probably not going to make it, but something inside of me had so much hope that she could pull through. We hope and pray that our loved ones will overcome any tragedy that they are faced with, but we have to come to peace with the fact that God is in charge and he has a purpose for everything he does, regardless if we understand it or not.
People say that you can never be 100% sure of a person's salvation, but sometimes this belief of 'knowing' they were saved is what helps us to cope. When both of my great-grandmas, my great-grandpa, and my grandpa passed away, the thing that helped me get through each event, was my belief that they were saved. They talked about Jesus almost everytime you saw them. I was blessed to have had the time I did with them and to have been influenced by such amazing Christians. When you lose someone who you are sure is saved, coping with it is a lot easier when you think about them talking with Jesus, having no pain, having perfect vision, and being wonderfully healthy.
The devil tends to get into our heads sometimes and tell us that we did not spend enough time with the people we lost. He attempts to make us feel guilty for something we no longer have power over and sometimes he succeeds. When you begin to feel this guilt inside of you, try to remember the good times you had with those people you have lost, not the times that you didn't spend with them, because they as well would remember the good times you shared. Look back on pictures or videos that were captured of them and possibly even yourself. The last thing you should do is let the devil make you feel guilty.
When you lose a loved one, remember all of the happy times that have been experienced. Think about how much better that person is now that they are not hurting or suffering. Remember that God gives everyone a purpose on this Earth and they had simply completed theirs before you were ready for them to be done. It will hurt for a while, but God will not put anything on you that you cannot face without him by your side.
