The Faithful Fox Podcast
'The Faithful Fox' delivers spiritual wisdom with a side of unfiltered humor as the Jooseman tackles faith, life, and everything in between – because being holy doesn't mean you can't be hilarious
The Faithful Fox Podcast
Episode 8: It's Not 'Goodbye'..It's 'See You Later'
Jesus didn't promise us life after death. He promised something far better: a reunion. The distinction transforms how we face loss as Christians. When someone we love who knew Jesus passes away, they're not lost—they're gone. And "gone" has a forwarding address.
That awkward funeral moment when we accidentally say "see you later" instead of "goodbye" might not be a mistake after all. Jesus's words in John 14 make it clear: "My Father's house has many rooms... I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me." This isn't distant comfort—it's a logistics promise from someone who has never failed to keep His word.
The Greek word for "take" here is the same used for a bridegroom coming to get his bride—personal, intentional, face-to-face. When we lose Christian loved ones, we can trust Jesus personally went to get them, looked them in the eye, and said, "Your room's ready, let's go home." And someday, He's coming back for us too.
This doesn't mean grief isn't real. Even Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb despite knowing resurrection was minutes away. Missing someone isn't lack of faith—it's love with nowhere to go right now. But as Paul writes, we don't grieve like those with no hope. We can be sad without being hopeless, missing someone without believing they're gone forever.
When you understand Jesus is actively preparing a place for you and everyone who knows Him, it changes everything—how you say goodbye, how you remember people, how you live today. Next time you're missing someone, remember they're not lost—they're just ahead of you. And until Jesus comes back for you too, you get to live like someone who knows that "see you later" actually means something. Subscribe now for more faith-filled perspectives that bring hope to life's hardest moments.
What's up, faithful foxes? Welcome back to another episode where we dig into faith with a little bit of fun. I'm Justin, your host, and today we're talking about something that's honestly pretty heavy, but also incredibly hopeful. We're diving into what happens when we lose people we love and why Jesus gives us permission to say see you later instead of goodbye. And before we jump in, let me just say if you're walking through loss right now, I'm glad you're here. This one's for you.
Speaker 2:The faithful fox, I'm so happy you made it. I'm just in your host and I'm so glad we're acquainted. We're praising your name and the way that he's taken away our sin. Yeah, your words give me grace and you're here in this place. I've been blinded by your holy light. Give me blessings from above when I broadcast. Welcome to the Faithful Fox Podcast.
Speaker 1:All right, let's start with something we've all experienced, that awkward moment at a funeral when someone asks how you're doing and you're like, well, my person is gone, so not great. But then there's that other weird thing that happens You're talking about someone who died and you catch yourself saying see you later instead of goodbye, and for a split second you're like wait, did I just mess that up? That doesn't make any sense. But what if it actually does make sense? What if see you later is exactly the right thing to say. Because here's the thing Jesus didn't promise us life after death. He promised us something way better than that. He promised us a reunion, and not just any reunion, the kind where someone actually shows up when they say they will. Let me read you exactly what he said.
Speaker 1:This is from John 14, verses 2 and 3. Jesus is talking to his disciples right before his crucifixion and they're scared because he's about to leave them. But listen to this my Father's house has many rooms. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Did you catch that? I will come back and take you to be with me. Not maybe I'll see you around, not hope you can find your way there. Someday I will come back for you.
Speaker 1:That's not goodbye language, folks, that's see you later. Language it changes everything about how we think about death and loss. Let's talk about the ultimate moving coordinator. This is Lost vs Gone. So now that we've heard Jesus' promise, let's break down what this actually means. Notice what he didn't say to his disciples. He didn't say well, this is it, guys, it's been fun, it's been real, but it ain't been real fun. He said I'm going to prepare a place for you and then I'm coming back to get you. That's not goodbye language, that's moving day language. That's your friend saying hey, I'm heading to the new place early to set up everything. I'll be back with the truck to help you move.
Speaker 1:See, there's a huge difference between lost and gone. When something's lost, you don't know where it is. When someone's gone, you know exactly where they are. They're just not here right now. Are people who have died. They're not lost, they're gone. And gone has an address. Gone has a forwarding address. Gone means see you later and get this.
Speaker 1:Jesus isn't preparing a place, he's preparing the place, the place where there's room for everyone we've ever loved, who knew him. Many rooms, he says, not limited seating, not sorry, we're at capacity. Many rooms. I don't know about you, but I've never had a contractor tell me don't worry, I'm personally coming back to move you in when it's ready. Most of the time they won't even return your calls. But Jesus, he's like, not only am I building this for you, I'm personally coming to get you when it's time.
Speaker 1:Speaking of showing up when you say you will, let's talk about promises that actually mean something. This is the ultimate reunion planning committee. It kind of scared me a little bit when I hit that one. You know what I love about this passage, though. Jesus isn't just throwing out empty comfort here. He's making a logistics promise. He's basically saying I'm handling all the reunion planning and, unlike your family's attempts at organizing get-togethers, this one's actually going to happen.
Speaker 1:Think about it. How many times have you heard someone say we really need to get together soon? And then crickets or I'll call you next week. And next week turns into next month, turns into wait, what's her number again? But Jesus says I will come back and take you to be with me. Not, I might swing by if I'm in the neighborhood, not, I'll send directions, you can find your own way. I will come back for you.
Speaker 1:And here's the beautiful part about that word take. In the original Greek it's the same word used for a bridegroom coming to get his bride. It's personal, it's intentional, it's I'm not sending someone else, I'm coming myself. So when we lose someone we love, who knew jesus, we're not just hoping they made it to some distant, vague place place. We're trusting that Jesus personally went and got them, that he looked them in the eye and said your room's ready, let's go home. And someday, someday he's coming back for us too. And when he does, guess who's going to be there waiting? Everyone who went ahead of us, everyone we've been missing, everyone we've been saying see you later to. That's not just wishful thinking, that's not just trying to make ourselves feel better. That's a promise from someone who has never, not once, failed to keep his word.
Speaker 1:So what does this actually mean for us, right here, right now? This is why See you Later changes everything. Here's what I think this means for us. When we're walking through loss First, our grief is real and it's okay. Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died, even though he knew he was going to raise him from the dead. Missing someone isn't lack of faith, it's love with nowhere to go right now. But second, our grief doesn't have to be hopeless.
Speaker 1:Paul says in 1 Thessalonians that we don't have to grieve like people who have no hope. We can be sad without being hopeless. We can miss someone without believing they're gone forever. Because here's the thing when you really believe that Jesus is preparing a place and coming back to get us, it changes how you think about everything. It changes how you say goodbye, it changes how you remember people. It changes how you live. You know that feeling when someone you love goes on a long trip and you're sad they're gone, but excited because you know they're having an amazing time and you'll see them soon. That's closer to what this is supposed to feel like. And maybe most importantly, it changes how we treat the people who are still here. Because if see you later is real for the people who've gone ahead, it's also real for the people sitting right next to us. This isn't just about death. This is about eternity. This is about forever.
Speaker 1:So when someone asks you how you're doing after you've lost someone, maybe it's okay to say I'm sad they're gone, but I'm not worried about where they are.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's okay to say I miss them, but this isn't goodbye. Maybe it's okay to mean it when you say see you later. You know, I think one of the most beautiful things about Jesus's promise in John 14 is that he doesn't just tell us there's a place for us. He tells us he's preparing it right now, today, while you're listening to this, jesus is getting your room ready and he's getting rooms ready for the people you love who are already there, and rooms for the people you love who are still here with you. So the next time you're missing someone who knew Jesus, remember they're not lost, they're not even really gone. They're just ahead of you. They're in the same place, jesus prepared for them, and someday, when he comes back for you, you're going to see him again. And until then, until then, you get to live like someone who knows that see you later actually means something. Thanks for joining me today, faithful foxes. I hope this brought you some comfort, some hope, or maybe just reminded you that the story isn't over yet.
Speaker 1:Keep being faithful, Keep being hopeful and remember some goodbyes aren't really goodbyes at all. I'll see you later you.
