It’s that time of year again…

The beginning of August for most of the country marks the start of the school year. Social media will be flooded with pictures of everyone’s children. They will be in the best clothes they will probably wear until picture day. Parents will rejoice across the nation, and children will be happy until they get into that first class. Teachers will be anxious! Everyone is excited about some aspect of the new year.

Students will greet friends they haven’t seen all summer with screams and excitement. They will hug, laugh, and maybe even cry a little. Teachers will force a smile at some students and not be able to to stop smiling at others. Parents will mourn the start of their baby’s first day of kindergarten. High school parents will be overcome with the joy of their kid leaving the house. Some will be sending their child off to their first day of college. Others will settle in for the first day of home school after the summer break.

Whatever the situation, emotions are high during these first few days.

It is during these days that we might be able to see a glimpse of what it may be like on the other side of this life.

‘“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world….

Matthew 25:31-34

…Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!…  …“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ‘

Matthew 25:41,46

On the other side of this life, there will be a judgement to face. Some will rejoice at the reunion of old friends and family. Others will be mournful and distraught at the impending doom of their rebellious life. Jesus will shepherd His flock away from the fire of the burning lake and into glorious heaven with the Father. He will also send the unrighteous into an everlasting death for denying Him.

But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

Matthew 10:33

With uncertainty of what is to come in this life, why waste time looking for answers here. Every answer to every question that matters can be found in the One True God, whose Son paid the price for your sin. If you believe in Him and trust in the name of Jesus, He will surely save your sole and secure your place in His flock. Put your faith in Him. Be assured that on the last day He will usher you to the right and lead you into heaven. There will be rejoicing and celebration far greater than the back to school feelings that come every year at this time.

Let Jesus lead you, change your life for the better, and allow His love to flow from you and reaches others for that reunion. Join the flock of sheep, and leave the goats behind. Joy and peace await each and every one of us if we follow Him.