Are We There Yet?

Since it's been a few days since my last post, I will begin by filing in what has been going on.  First, all the difficulty I had earlier last week - the lower back pain and other pain - left me on Thursday.  A short day of work on Thursday and then off on Friday as the family took off on a road trip. Beautiful driving with all the colors, great weather, and great time together with Cynth and the kids.

On this trip, I enjoyed driving across the James from Newport News and across the lower part of VA toward I-85 as we headed southwest.  We spent a short time with Elva (my paternal grandmother), saw Joe and Carolyn while enjoying some dogs at his world famous establishment, after about seven or so fantastic hours amongst the orange and purple in Howard's place. Afterward, Aaron, Rach and I walked end-to-end across that hallowed turf, and Rach touched the rock.  But it was a quick trip so our two college kids could be back at class on Monday.  Thankfully, Cynth let me drive as much as I wanted.

As always, it was great just to be with the kids, being reminded of how God has uniquely made and developed them, and how he uses them to develop me.  We had a great time on Friday playing "Are We There Yet?."  This game was given to us a number of years ago for use on road trips to pass the time.  You get five cards with other-wise ordinary things to spot, only when you're actually looking for them you never see them.  In fact, you often fixate on one you're trying to find and likely miss many of the others. And sometimes it will seem that you are never going to reach the destination. Kind of like life.

Without realizing it, I believe we live in the question, "Are We There Yet?."  Recognizing this reality requires, like the song in South Pacific, that we be carefully taught.  By that I mean the teaching of God, of course.  And each of us learns this lesson, as with all other education, at times and through circumstances as unique as we are individually.

All of our days are spent in quiet expectation, woven by the desires of our hearts, the plans we make and subsequently, the circumstances that changes everything.  Who among us can say absolutely that life is just as they expected or dreamed it would be?  Yet we go on each day, looking for the culmination of our designs as we move on toward eternity.  Allow me to add that eternity is the destination for everyone, not just God's people.

As we played the game, some in the car complained about the cards dealt to them because the items they were to find were extraordinarily out-of-the-ordinary.  So too in life we kick against the goads because what we experience in the interim between the now and not yet is not comfortable.  It forces us into faith - whether in ourselves or God, for all os us live according to faith.  It is just a matter what we believe, derive our strength from, trust to see us through.

If it is anything other than the God who created the universe and all that is in it, the God who, only because he loves us, provided the satisfaction his justice required by coming to live as man and die the death we deserve because of our sin, the God who by his spirit raised his Christ from the dead giving all who believe a right relationship with this God now and assurance of eternal life with him in eternity soon, then we trust in that which will always disappoint even at its best.

Now the question:  So what?  Well, you can continue on as before and look as before for those items and experiencing some disappointment along the way, keeping occupied as the days pass.  Or you can continue looking for those items, but with God's perspective, content in the now, rejoicing in the not yet.  Either way, we who believe and trust God know that the items on our list are ordered by God to his great glory and our benefit.  

Have a blessed day in the now, and be encouraged mightily by the not yet.