Choir Notes

Good Be with You

From Music and The Spoken Word

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4286

A young soldier, with tears in his eyes, hugs his wife and child and boards a transport plane, bound for foreign conflict. It is a scene we have witnessed many times through the years, as men and women of the military leave loved ones behind and bravely go to play their part in the fight for freedom. For all who make this sacrifice, it seems the hardest part of all is saying good-bye.

Whether for only a few hours or much longer, we must, on occasion, say farewell and place our lives and the lives of those we love in the hands of divine providence. Mothers know the feelings of joy mixed with worry as they send their little ones off to the first day of school. Children grow up and leave home, friends move away, jobs end, family members pass on, and each time we have to say good-bye.

And yet there is something particularly poignant about bidding farewell to a soldier—to a man or woman who, though reluctant to leave behind loved ones, is nevertheless emboldened by a sense of sacred duty to the cause of freedom and country. And while we may not be able to fully appreciate the sacrifice made by the families of these heroes, we all share a measure of pride in their service and prayers for their safe return. 

Just as touching—and often just as tearful—as the soldier’s departure is the joy of his return and the rush to meet his embrace and welcome him home. Even if the reunion is postponed longer than we wish, we never need to let go of the assurance that someday it will come. 

Life demands that all of us endure separation, but the pain of this separation can be greatly softened when, with trust in heaven’s help, we include with our good-bye the hopeful plea "God be with you till we meet again.” 1

1 "God Be with You Till We Meet Again,” Hymns, no. 152.