Still to Come
Sweet memories. Bitter memories. Joys and hardships intermingled. They fill our days.
Our pasts are mixtures of beauty and ashes. The former times of our lives contain the inescapable marks of human frailty in a sin-stained creation. No man or woman escapes this reality. When prompted, all of us can envision those dark valleys and the sunlit mountain peaks. They are often still vivid beyond expectation.
And yet, each moment we breathe, we advance further into a hidden realm. It’s name? The future. We have no idea what experiences are ahead for each of us. There are reasons to hope in a brighter day dawning just ahead. And there are reasons to fear what is on the horizon, as well. Some people live in optimistic hope regarding their future, but some are crippled by the fear that their best days lay behind them.
And there is no discrimination in these matters. The rain falls on the righteous as well as the unrighteous. The most pleasing servant of God is led by His hand to walk through stormy seas.
Yet, for the follower of Jesus Christ, the future holds a sure hope. The foundation for our eternal joy in Christ has been laid. As we fix our eyes on heaven and all that it holds, we have a solid reason for an optimism in the midst of uncertainty. Though these earthly days be marked by trials, a Day is coming when we will see God’s promise fulfilled: He will make all things new. The land will no longer be cursed. Work will no longer be frustrating. Our wills, minds, and tongues will no longer sin. Sorrows will flee and tears will be wiped away. Separation will vanish and the universal family of God will be truly realized–and truly together.
What will 2021 bring? The only thing we know for certain is this: it will bring us moment by moment closer to the day we see the Lord face to face in the new heavens and new earth that He is fashioning for us. Keep walking forward, dear brother and sister. Walk with me toward what is still to come.