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Category: Allegories & Stories

The Terrifying Door to Peace

The Terrifying Door to Peace

It was a small room that mirrored a cavern of hell itself.  The walls dark and bleak; the lighting a muted gray; the air heavy with a tint of sulfur – cloying in the nostrils and congesting the lungs.

The only visible light spilled in from the doorway on the far wall.  It was a doorway to … clouds, and seemingly a long and terrifying fall.  The room was situated at an extreme height, and the door was the only entrance and egress.  Edging closer to the opening provided a stunning view of slowly shifting clouds, below and above.  The sense of the depth outside the doorway was palpable.

Hope avoided moving too close to the door.  The distance down was dizzying.  Approaching it caused her breath to catch and her stomach to churn.

But staying away from the opening wasn’t necessarily easy either.  Inside that horrid room lived some of the most vile creatures.  Niggling worries crawled out of the cracks in the floor and onto Hope incessantly, like tiny spiders.  Doubts skittered around the room on four legs, whipping their long, leathery tails, squeaking their disdain and biting when able.  Concerns slithered about, and took every opportunity to wrap themselves around Hope in a cold-blooded embrace, squeezing all pleasure from her.  Anxieties flapped around the room on bare black wings, swooping close repeatedly.

Relaxation didn’t exist; rest was never experienced.  Peace was impossible and having hope unimaginable in that anxious room.

Except for the door.  The terrifying, but bright and inviting door.

The fascinating door.  The door of intrigue.

The door bordered on all four sides with messages.  In softly glowing letters over the door were the words, “Let go and let God.” 

On the left could be seen, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and he will make your paths straight. (God, your Father)” 

On the right, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Learn from me, and you will find rest for your souls. (Jesus, your Brother)” 

And on the wall immediately below the door (the opening was raised off the floor) was written, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (God, your Holy Spirit)”

Hope was mesmerized by the messages.  They were everything Hope so desperately desired; everything she so desperately needed!  And they were everything that was non-existent in that room of gloom, that place full of fear. 

Hope contemplated the words repeatedly.  They filled her thoughts as she fought off the niggling worries, the skittering doubts, the slithering concerns, and the flapping anxieties so abundant in that dark place.  Clearly the messages were tied to the door – the glorious door that provided the light, and the terrifying door that emptied into the heights.

She could arrive at no other conclusion then that the promises offered in the words around the door could only be obtained by walking through the door.  But to do so was not only illogical, it seemed to be madness and self-destruction!

But then why were those words there?  And who had put them there?  Were they written by the horrible creatures in that room of anxiousness?  But that didn’t make sense either.  If she went through the door and plunged to her death, they couldn’t reach her anymore.  It seemed clear that they wanted continued access to her to torment her to the fullest.

Hope’s suffering in that room of anxiousness continued unrelentingly.  So it would be accurate to say that her despair caused her to consider crossing through the opening more and more seriously. 

But the greater factor was the assurance that the messages offered.  The words gave her hope, there was no other way to state it.  They lifted her heart and brightened her eyes whenever she thought of them.  Hope already flickered within her, fostered by the encouraging words, but she wanted to experience it to a much greater degree.

Finally the day came when a large concern managed to wrap itself around Hope’s neck and began contracting its grip, making it difficult for her to breath.  As Hope writhed on the floor, doubts attacked her, biting her incessantly and worries crawled all over her body.  This was the worst attack yet.

“I must have peace!” she thought desperately.  She took her hands off the snake encircling her throat, pushed herself to her feet and dashed toward the light.  Hope covered the distance in seconds and dove through the terrifying door, trusting the messages around it.

She cartwheeled through the air, her legs swinging over her head … and instead of plummeting downward, she floated!  She had landed on her back in the clouds, her perch firm yet comfortable.  It made no sense, yet the results were undeniable!  The tormenting anxiousness of the dark room were gone!  Joy and peace surrounded her!

God the Holy Spirit was upholding Hope with his righteous right hand.  Jesus, God the Son, was supplying rest to her soul and her mind.  And God the Father was giving her understanding and settling her on a better, much more pleasant path … a path in the clouds, no less!

No worries crawled over her.  No doubts skittered around her.  No concerns slithered about.  No anxieties flapped nearby. 

Hope had found hope!  In faith, she had cast her cares into the care of God.  She had learned to trust in the Lord, and trust in the Lord had provided her with peace. 

How wonderful it is to float on the promises and provision of God!

——————————-

This allegory is oversimplified, of course.  However, I found it … and am still finding it … extremely beneficial to me.  (As worries have beset me in recent days, I have been picturing myself diving through the terrifying door.  This has actually proved to be quite comforting!)  I pray that you might also benefit from the picture.

Regarding the messages around the door, the “Let go and let God” is not a quote from the Bible, though the concept is certainly found throughout the Scriptures.  The other words are indeed Bible passages (Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 11:28-29, and Isaiah 41:10).

Another fitting passage for this topic would be 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on [the Lord] because he cares for you.”

Sadly, some never cross through the terrifying door; they choose instead to suffer in the dark and anxious room.  May God make us wiser and move us in trust to dive through the door into his loving care!

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Take Care of Your Soul

Take Care of Your Soul

This post is dedicated to the St. Paul student confirmands of 2021.  For that matter, to all those who have publicly confessed their faith at our congregation through the years, whether students or adults. 

But no, that’s not sufficient either.  This post is dedicated to all Christians everywhere.  May it encourage each one of us to take wonderful care of our souls.

It all happened so suddenly.  One moment Mike and Tom were discussing the fish they expected to catch that day at the lake; the next an SUV was slamming into their truck at an extremely high rate of speed. 

An explosion of white!  Instantaneous and intense pain!  Darkness!  Then the hurt disappeared as their spirits floated out of their bodies.  They hovered for a brief moment and gazed down at the destroyed vehicle they had just exited, before they were pulled inexorably heavenward, increasing in velocity until they were rocketing at an unimaginable speed.

At first it appeared to be a distant star.  But the gleaming grew rapidly brighter and bigger until a massive city came into view, beaming and breathtakingly beautiful.  Their transit slowed as they approached the glorious kingdom, where they swooped gracefully through a massive gate of pearl and glided high along a wide street of gold. 

The buildings of the city appeared to be formed from various gems, each structure a different stone of a different color, so that the view consisted of a thousand different hues.  Arrayed in precision were numerous golden streets, all converging on the magnificent mountain in the center of the city from where a beaming brilliance emanated, even brighter than the city.  Perched on the peak of the mountain stood a triple throne too stunning to describe.  And perched on the interconnected thrones sat the three persons of the Triune God, ablaze in glory, rays of iridescent color rippling around them like a billion brilliant laser lights.  Surrounding them were ranks upon ranks of angels in splendorous armor.

Mike and Tom’s spirits slid to a halt on the golden landing below the thrones.  They dared not look up.  They wished to clench their eyes shut, but spirits are ever-seeing.  If they were still in their bodies, they would have been trembling violently.

A thunderous voice shook the entire mountain.  “Greetings, Mike and Tom.  This is your allotted time.  Your life on earth is over; your life in eternity is just beginning.”

Of course, the men had recognized this already.  But to hear it stated in such a way was beyond disconcerting.

Shocking as it may seem, neither had any thought of what they had left behind.  There was no concerns over their plans and projects on earth; no lingering on what they had still hoped to do; no deep regrets over leaving spouses and children behind.  Not because they didn’t dearly love their families, but because eternity hung in the balance, and that was all-encompassing. 

The Lord’s voice thundered again.  “So how will we find your souls?  Are they living … or not?”

The magnitude of the moment registered on them.  This was it.  Nothing else … nothing else … mattered but this. There was no going back.  No second chances.  No more opportunities to reprioritize.  No different decisions to be made.  No changing of circumstances.  No altering their final destinations. 

What would the Lord find in their souls?

Mike and Tom watched in stunned amazement as two ornate silver boxes took shape on the platform – one resting before each of them.  Inscribed on the side facing them were golden crosses.  A multitude of holes covered the rounded covers.  The lovely boxes seemed both delicate and sturdy at the same time, and they glowed.  They were like nothing the men had ever seen.  What were these?

The all-knowing Lord answered.  “Those are your souls.  You don’t see them or feel them on earth, but you always carry them with you.”  The men’s attention was now riveted on the containers.  “We are about to open them,” stated the Lord.  “What will we find there?”

The ramifications of this revelation shook the men.  Fearful uncertainty engulfed them.  What would the Lord find there?

Mike and Tom had been best friends all their life.  They had both been born into Christian families and had been raised in the same Christian church.  They had sat through the same Sunday School lessons, Catechism classes, and worship services.  They were confirmed in their faith on the same day in front of the entire congregation.  Their parents and pastor had been so proud and thankful.

But then came high school and college, and then jobs and homes and families and responsibilities.  So much to do; so many distractions.  While Mike and Tom continued to stay close, they fell into very different spiritual life-styles. 

Tom continued to treasure God and God’s Word.  He relished his time in worship; he eagerly attended Bible studies; he faithfully read the Scriptures and shared devotions with his family; he discussed God’s truths with Christian friends; he delighted in listening to Christian music.  The Gospel of his Savior held a preeminent place in his life.  In short, Tom poured copious amounts of “Living Water” on his soul, and provided generous amounts of Son-shine to his soul.

Mike, on the other hand, wrapped himself up in the world.  He immersed himself in work and play, in hobbies and highlights.  Gradually he drifted away from the church, eventually even opting to skip services on the Christmas and Easter holidays.  Though he owned a number of Bibles, he never opened them.  God rarely crossed his mind anymore.  In light of living life, God’s Word seemed wholly unimportant to him.   Of course, Tom tried to encourage Mike spiritually.  Mike always replied that he would get back into it someday when he had more time.

Now Tom and Mike’s spirits were prostrate before the Lord.  Now their souls would be opened, and what was encased inside displayed before the Triune God.

“It is time to see,” rumbled the voice, the vibrations rolling through the mountain and reverberating through the city.  Suddenly the nail-pierced feet of Jesus stood before them.  They were still for a moment, then they stepped to the box before Mike.  The Lord leaned over and placed his hand lightly on the box.  The lid popped open.

Mike’s view was riveted on the scene.  Jesus was staring into the box.  Then Mike realized there were tears falling from the Lord’s face, dropping silently into his soul.  Jesus lifted his gaze to Mike, and said sorrowfully, “There used to be life here, but there is none now.  I’m sorry, but this soul cannot stay here.”  Mike’s spirit convulsed in horror. 

Jesus wiped the tears from his face, and then moved in front of Tom’s box.  He stooped down and touched it.  As the cover swung open, a blooming bouquet of flowers of every hue and shape burst forth, and a delightful aroma wafted free.

A great smile filled Jesus’ face.  He beamed at Tom.  “There is abundant life here.  It is thriving!  This soul belongs in this place.”  Jesus stepped forward, lifted Tom’s spirit from the platform and embraced him warmly.

Overwhelming exuberance swept through Tom.  He was in Jesus’ arms!  He was welcome here in heaven!  His time in the Lord’s presence was just beginning, but it would last forever.

An agonizing cry arose.  “No-oo-oo-oo!  Please, no!” … but it faded quickly as Mike’s spirit was swept away.  At the same time, a heartfelt “Yes!” was heard as the Savior hugged Tom and wiped his tears of joy away.

One important aside: The Bible makes it clear that a believer can actually turn away from God and lose their faith.  (See 2 Peter 2:17-22, Hebrews 6:4-6, and Hebrews 10:26-27).  This should be a sobering realization to every Christian, and a situation that no believer ever wants to experience.

As for the story above, I hesitantly took some liberties with describing the initial appearance before the Lord following death.  I do not think that this is how it actually transpires.  However, I pictured the scenario in this manner for dramatic effect … to make a point in a way that is hopefully effective.  I pray it encourages all of us to pay careful heed to our souls our entire lives.

As Jesus himself pointed out, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?  Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”  (Matthew 16:26)

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Floating Down the River of Life … with No Paddles!

Floating Down the River of Life … with No Paddles!

Do you remember Mark Twain’s story of Huckleberry Finn?  In the book, Tom Sawyer’s friend, Huck Finn, sets out with his friend, Jim, on a raft down the Mississippi River. 

Now to me as a boy who loved outdoor adventure, that was exciting stuff!  Riding down a huge river on a raft.  Fishing off the side. Observing the other travelers on the water. Experiencing all kinds of adventures along the way with nothing to worry about but the moment.  That would be fine living!

Well, to create a metaphor from Twain’s story, every one of us happens to be floating on a raft in the middle of a huge river.  In fact, everyone who lives in the world is rafting down that same waterway.  The river’s name is the “River of Life.” 

And not a single one of us has oars! 

But everyone does have a helmsman; that is, someone who is steering their raft.  There are only two options for helmsmen; either a person’s personal raft is being directed by Jesus … or by Satan.

Sadly, the majority of rafts on the river are under Satan’s guidance.  Satan is steering, and his goal is to maintain control of all of those rafts until river’s end.  He skillfully maneuvers those skiffs into currents on the River of Life that benefit his cause and better enable him to continue to control the inhabitant of that raft.

What are those nasty currents?

The first is the current of disregard.  Rafts on this current carry their riders down the river in a state of inadvertent, and sometimes deliberate, oblivion of God’s Word and therefore of God himself.  Where there is disregard for God’s Word and God, there the evil helmsman’s control is easily maintained.

Another nasty side-stream Helmsman Satan delights to drift on is the current of disobedience.  This is an attractive one for floaters because every human-being has a sinful nature, and so is naturally inclined to disobey God’s laws.  And the more Satan can keep peoples’ rafts on the current of disobedience, the longer he can keep distance between them and God, the simpler it is to keep them distracted by the allure of sin, and the easier it is to bring about complete despair of God’s love and forgiveness.

Yet another preferred current by the devil is the current of difficulties.  This current flows naturally from the current of disobedience because whenever someone is floating outside of the streams God suggests for people’s own good, then difficulties are sure to follow.  But difficulties don’t only arise from disobedience; they are part and parcel of life in a sinful and broken world. 

Regardless of how it got there, when someone’s raft is flowing down the River of Life in the current of difficulties, Satan can better create spiritual complications.  He can cause distraction from the things of God as people become absorbed in solving their problems.  He can foster discouragement, sometimes even to the point of despair.  He can ramp up stress, which then leads to even more difficulties.

Then there’s the worst current of all, the current of death.  It’s the current on the River of Life that Satan loves the best.  For many on this river, the current of death is a horrifying thing.  They view death as the end of life.  And the end of pleasure, possessions, prestige, and all that they know.  Consequently, death is something to live in terror of, to avoid at all costs, and to refuse to face.  Yet they all know deep down that death is inevitable.  Helmsman Satan can bring about a whole lot of issues while scooting down the current of death.

Of course, all of these unpleasant currents are intertwined to a great degree.  Which suits Satan well.

Truth be told, every single raft is under the devil’s control at one time.  Ours was too!  But then somewhere along the way God intervened.  The Gospel of our Savior drifted across the waters, wafted into our ears or eyes, and seeped into our hearts.  The Holy Spirit lit the light of faith within us.  At that instant, Satan was thrown over-board and a new helmsman named Jesus took over our raft. 

Jesus steers us onto different currents; currents named faith, awe and honor, obedience, opportunities, blessings and life.

Yes, we still find ourselves in bad currents sometimes.  Unfortunately, our sinful natures still ride along on our rafts.  We won’t be rid of our inborn sin until we arrive in heaven.  Consequently, we still reach over the side of our rafts and doggy-paddle ourselves into currents where Jesus doesn’t want us to go sometimes – dangerous and destructive currents such as disobedience.  Jesus doesn’t steer us there; we pull ourselves there.

But then the Gospel rings out again over the waters, and Jesus, our helmsman, reminds of his love and his death.  He reminds us of the forgiveness he secured for us.  And when we remember all that Jesus endured for us and accomplished for us, he steers us once again onto a more pleasant slipstream.  Our faith is revived and our eagerness to obey him is renewed.

Of course, the current of difficulties is unavoidable as we float down the River of Life.  We encounter sandbars, fallen trees, and dangerous rapids in the river.  Our rafts get rocked by hardships and assaulted by waves.  As we see the obstacles around our little raft on the River of Life, we are constantly tempted to despair of our safety.

But here’s the key!  When we find our raft on the rapids, heading toward rocks in the River of Life, we must not focus on the rapids and the rocks!  Rather, we turn our eyes to our helmsman, to the one who is steering your raft.  We lift our eyes to Jesus; we look to our Heavenly Helmsman.

Helmsman Jesus has a perfect record.  His rafts have never been swamped.  His boats on the River of Life have never been capsized.  He always leads his people through the rapids to the still and quiet waters.  Our rafts are in good hands

Yes, the currents of the River of Life will eventually carry us to physical death.  But because of Jesus, the River of Life which is carrying our bodies day-by-day closer to death is also carrying our souls day-by-day closer to eternal life in heaven.

Wow!  Now that’s something to celebrate!

Sadly, unbelievers live terrified of death because Satan is their helmsman.  But our helmsman is Jesus, so we recognize that physical death is just the beginning of eternal life.  We recognize that death is not the ultimate defeat, but the ultimate victory.  Because when we die, we die with Jesus as our helmsman, and he will lead us Home.

Which reminds me of another metaphor, a biblical one.  The picture is different, but the message is the same.

“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23).

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Look! Look! Look!

Look! Look! Look!

This week’s post is drastically different than my usual offering.  Different format completely.  Different length too; this post is longer than usual.  (But please read it anyway!)  Why the changes?  Because I grieve that so many of God’s people are struggling in one way or another, and I hope to bring some encouragement and direction to hurting hearts.  But in a little different way. 

As long as we live in this broken world, we will all struggle to some degree.  But there are a few things to which we can turn our attention that will help us profoundly through our struggles.  I don’t mean to minimize our challenges in any way or give the impression that we can totally escape our problems.  But God does give us some wonderful remedies!  Unfortunately, all too often we fail to utilize them. 

I put together this allegory to try to illustrate this.  I guess one could view it as a simpler, shorter version of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.  Yes, I know that’s a classic, and I won’t pretend I can come close to equaling it.  But I do pray that the illustration is beneficial nonetheless.  I hope you won’t find it, (or me), too strange.  I hope also you won’t simply dismiss the story, but will read it and consider the message.  And most of all, I pray it will encourage you and help you on your own life’s journey!

They stood at a rocky outcropping after a particularly difficult climb, the vegetation sparse on the stone slabs.  An elderly man, weak and tottering; a young man, strong and fit.  The young man was heartbroken; he knew his father couldn’t hike much further.  His mother had already been carried away in the loving arms of the Lord earlier in the journey.  Now it was just the two of them.  Soon it would be only one.

Around them rose a forest.  The timber stood tall, the vegetation thick and the forest floor continued to climb precipitously.  Everything ahead of the young man seemed dark and foreboding; the prospect of traveling forward alone seemed unthinkable.  Tears ran unchecked down his cheeks.

The kindly father put his arm over Trav’s shoulder.  “I know the journey seems daunting,” he said.  “And it is.  But you must work your way through it nevertheless.”  Trav couldn’t bear to look at his father and didn’t want to look at the forest, so he kept his eyes downcast.  His father continued.  “It’s true that many never make it out of the wilderness.  There is an abundance of dangers and distractions, and these take many down on their journey.”  Trav shuddered involuntarily, both from grief and fear. 

The man tightened his grip on Trav’s shoulder and pulled him against him.  “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Trav inhaled.  Exhaled.  The father slowly spun Trav to stare directly into his eyes.  “You will make it through anything if you remember to look!  Traveler, you must remember to look!” 

Trav’s eyes widened.  “Look at what?” he asked.

“Look at these three things,” the elderly man replied.  “Look in the Living Word; look up at the Loving Presence; and look ahead to the Looming Destination.”

“What?  What do you mean by that?”

“The Living Word is the Bible tucked into your pack.  The Loving Presence is the loving Lord who is constantly with you, and the Looming Destination is your ultimate goal, your heavenly home.  Each is crucial for your journey.  If you fail to faithfully look at any of them, your travels will be negatively impacted and you will struggle much more than you need to.  Do you understand?”

The young man gulped and nodded.  “Not totally, but kinda.  It’s what you’ve always told me, right?” 

“It is indeed.  You must remember these instructions.  Now repeat them after me. …  Look in the Living Word; look up at the Loving Prescence; and look ahead to the Looming Destination.”  Trav repeated the words. 

“Good.  It’s almost time for you to set out on your own.  Now don’t forget to look.”  The man embraced Trav, tears in his own eyes, then released him.  A glowing smile lit up the old man’s face.  He slowly collapsed backwards while the Lord’s hand reached down to catch and cradle him.   “Look, Trav!” the man whispered.  “Remember to look!  Then we’ll be together again one day.”  And the Lord carried him away.

Racked with debilitating grief, Trav remained in that rocky place for some time.  But eventually he recognized he had to move on.  In many ways, his life journey was just beginning.

Initially Trav made a point to regularly look in the Living Word, to religiously look up and see the Lord’s Loving Presence hovering over him, and to routinely look ahead at the delightful golden glow of the Looming Destination. And while he experienced adversity, those three views enabled him to keep up his spirits, overcome the hardships and advance safely on his journey.

Over time, however, the wilderness he traversed began to garner more and more of his attention. 

Trav daily pushed through the thorns and thickets, stumbled up the rocky hills and tripped down the ravines on the other side.  He slogged through the bitterly cold rivers.  He shivered in the frost; sweated profusely in the heat; bled from the injuries he incurred.  At the end of the day, he huddled exhausted near the flickering flames of his fire.  He didn’t seem to have the energy to look in the Living Word.

Occasionally he would find sweet relief from his travels in a lovely clearing where flowers burst exuberantly from the forest floor.  Birds chirped delightful songs and tree frogs added their choruses.  And Trav would drop his pack, take a seat on a log in the shade, and breath in the sweet aroma of the cedars and the wildflowers.  He cast his eyes around.  The view was simply too lovely to interrupt with a look in the Living Word.

There were other days of extreme difficulty; situations that demanded a great deal of his attention.  He found himself fending off the words and schemes of fellow travelers who intended to take advantage of him.  Wild animals stalked him; swarming insects frequently made him miserable.  Fierce storms lashed at him, drenching him in the rain and terrifying him with lightening.  Fires raged unchecked, floodwaters rose, and fierce winds toppled branches and trees, forcing him to take protective measures.  Freak accidents occurred.  Each season brought unique challenges; every landscape its own difficulties.  Among the day-to-day struggles, Trav was simply too distracted to look up at the Lord’s Loving Presence.

Along the way Trav was joined with a delightful companion named Journ.  She made his travels much more pleasant; the journey was now shared.  But now there were two to protect and provide for; two to care for and attend to.  In his happiness and busyness and preoccupation, Trav neglected to look up at the Loving Presence.  He almost forgot the Lord was there.

Eventually Trav and Journ found themselves in a particularly difficult stretch of their life-walk.  A massive windfall of trees surrounded them, the giant trunks strewn helter-skelter.  The travelers were forced to carefully make their way through this almost impenetrable maze of timber, sometimes crawling under the trees and sometimes scrambling over them – always having to navigate through the clutching branches and always emerging from one log only to find another one barring their progress.   

As they attempted to scale yet another fallen fir, the wood gave way and dumped them painfully to the ground.  Weak and bleeding, with their faces in the pine needles and their exhausted bodies surrounded by stinging nettles, they were overwhelmed with despair.  All they could see was the brutal journey before them: the enormous fallen trees, the clawing branches, the gouging thorns and biting insects, the meals to procure, the elements to endure, the countless obstacles.  They gave no thought to the Looming Destination.

Journ sobbed and Trav pounded the ground in frustration.  “I know this journey is hard, but it’s not supposed to be this hard!” Trav exclaimed.  “My father told me it would be hard.  He told me …”  His breath caught.  “My father told me …” Tears flowed as the memory overtook him.  “He told me to … ‘Look in the Living Word; look up at the Loving Presence; and look ahead to the Looming Destination.’”

Journ gasped.  “My parents told me the same thing!  But we’ve been so busy looking at the forest and the journey, the hardships and the joys, that we haven’t done it.  We haven’t looked in, up or ahead.”  Her eyes widened.  “Oh, Trav.  We’ve been focusing on the wrong things. It’s no wonder we are struggling so much!”

They turned their heads and nodded knowingly at each other.  Then they rolled onto their backs … and there was the Lord, right where he always was, hovering over them and watching.  But now he was smiling with joy.

From that moment on, Trav and Journ held to different priorities in their travels.  They made a point to look in the Living Word every day, to look up at the Loving Presence routinely; and to look ahead to the Looming Destination frequently.  Their journey was still challenging and their obstacles many, but the Living Word gave them healing and strength, the Lord’s Loving Presence gave them sufficient and sustaining help, and the Looming Destination gave them hope of a better future at journey’s end.

Never again did they neglect to look, look and look!  And never again were their journey’s struggles quite as significant, no matter how significant those struggles happened to be.

˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜

(Hebrews 4:12)  For the word of God is alive and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

(Joshua 1:9)  [The LORD said,] “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

(Matthew 28:20)  [Jesus said,] “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

(John 14:1-3)  [Jesus said,] “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

(Romans 15:4)  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

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