Vaya Con Dios
Vaya con Dios!
I first (knowingly) heard that phrase nearly 20 years ago in preparation for my first trip down to Honduras with a Mission Team. I knew virtually no Spanish (which isn’t too different 20 years later) and I continually got it wrong, often saying “via con Dios” – which I would get that funning, knowing smirk that said, “isn’t he a cute North American – TRYING to speak our language…”
Many of you probably know what it means, and you may even remember the song by Les Paul & Mary Ford from 1953. For those that don’t, vaya con dios means, “go with God!” It’s a beautiful parting message and actually the more formal version of “adios” – “to God” (a = “to” & dios = “God”). How cool to think that in Spanish, both a simple and a formal parting word is a reference to God!
Why do I bring this up? Because tomorrow, many of our children will be heading out, for the first time, for the fifth time, the tenth time and some for the last time to school. We wish them well, blessings on their day and send them out with hope and prayer that they will learn and grow and become educated and successful members of society and followers of Jesus. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. And so to throw in adios or vaya con Dios, is both a blessing and a reminder that… although they are outside of our immediate reach, they remain with God and continue to go with God!
Of course, this isn’t just limited to our children heading off to school. The summer is filled with vacations and visits (we just hosted my friend and his daughters, passing through to drop her off in Philly for college, all the way from Minneapolis, MN!). Every opportunity to welcome, entertain and reconnect with friends and family… brings with it a new opportunity to part and say goodbye. It’s… sweet sorrow, but comforting to know that they, or we (really both), go with God.
Maybe it’s my age, maybe it’s the age of my children and watching them venture out in new ways – spreading their wings, maturing, and blessing others – but I continue to be moved by these moments. It’s sweet to see them have an impact on other people’s lives, to get the splash back of praise for what they’ve done… but it’s also a little sad to know that more and more of that will happen beyond my home and my arms as they go. It’s ultimately what we want, as parents, yet it brings with it a real grief. The grief is tempered, at least in part, with the knowledge that they… go with God.
And I remind you, as I remind myself, we all go with God! There is never a time, never a situation, never a moment where we are beyond God’s sight, beyond God’s reach, beyond God’s care, beyond God’s empowering Spirit to guide and comfort and support us. Sure, we may not feel God’s presence, especially during periods of pain and grief, during confusing circumstances and crossroads… and yet the witness of scripture (and so many good friends around us) sings the song of God’s faithfulness to us over and over again. God is with us. Whether we’re stuck in one place or moving at a mile a minute. Whether we’re heading out on a wild journey through the wilderness, or simply wrapped in a bathrobe and slippers to get the mail – we go with God. That going, whether big or small, is a going that includes the power of the Spirit, to do much more than we could ask or imagine – for us, for our loved ones and all whom we care about.
So, be encouraged. Whether you’re saying “goodbye” to a kid heading off to school, a friend after a visit, or a loved one after they’ve breathed their last – know that they, even then, most especially then, go with God – and you do too!
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus – Vaya con Dios!
Pastor Don