Some days, when the pain is mild and my energy is surprisingly high, it is easy to get out of bed and face the changes of an increasingly strange and hectic world. But some days, when sorrow and pain blend together, when trial and heartache haunt my door, it is tempting to curl up in a ball of agony and let the stress of this world gain control.
But on those days there is one hope, one blessed beacon of promise that keeps me afloat, and that is the promise that He is coming. That in spite of today’s spiking heartaches and fears, there is a reason to get out of bed and smile. That even though my dreams may lay in crumbled heaps around me, even though chronic sickness has robbed me of many a joy, I still have a reason to lift up my head and sing songs of praise.
Because today with all of its trials and hardships is not the end. This world full of crime, hate, sickness, and death is not the fruition of my hopes. Like Abraham, Issac, and Jacob I am just a pilgrim in search of a better land. But unlike them, my story is not set at the beginning, but at the end. Instead of thousands of more years, this world is lucky to have a dozen years. And by the way things are changing, and it seems like we are descending into madness, often wonder if we will even see the next decade.
And while I tremble at the magnitude of the final crisis yet to face this world, I rejoice at the wonderful thought that soon the heavens will depart. Soon every eye shall behold the King in His glory. Soon, so very soon, Jesus will come to take His people home, so that where He is, we may be also.
And in that day pain will disappear. In that hour death will be swallowed up. No longer will fear and uncertainty have control. No longer will we have to scrape and push ourselves to the point of breaking just to survive. Instead we will be taken to live in a glorious city where the streets are paved with transparent gold, where we can freely drink from the cool waters of life, and ever eat of the tree of life.
No longer will our lives be counted in decades. Instead eternity will stretch out before us. Instead of bending over at the prime of our life, we will stand tall like a tree as we travel from one corner of the universe to another. Every good thing will be set before us. And we will spend eternity searching out the wonders of the universe, studying the book of nature, and drinking deeply of the wonders of supreme lover and mercy that opened the doors of heaven to the once wander sheep that sought out greener pastures, but too late realized that the field was composed of green painted poison.
Here is a poem inspired by this wonderful promise. I hope that you enjoy it and that your heart is lifted up by the wonderful promise that He is coming to take you home.
reflectionsaboutlifedotcom 