The End of the Journey

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1-6 ESV). Yesterday I wrote a little about the journey of life and our need to pray and read the Scripture in our perseverance. We are kept by God, but we also need to keep our love for Him. Today I return to one of my favorite passages as I read the following story: A missionary couple who had served for many years in Africa were returning to the United States. Leaving Africa with broken health and no pension, they felt defeated, discouraged, and afraid. As it turned out, President Teddy Roosevelt was traveling on the same ship. Of course, it caused a great commotion as everyone tried to catch a glimpse of the president, who was returning from a hunting expedition. The missionary commented to his wife, "Something is wrong. Why should we, who have given our lives in service to the Lord all these years in Africa, come back and not receive any fanfare or attention? And this man, who has done nothing more than just go on a hunting trip, is the center of attention. It just doesn't seem right." When the ship arrived, a brass band played and the mayor welcomed the president. The missionary was so discouraged. "It isn't fair," he told his wife. "Why have we not received any attention or adulation for what we have done? God is not treating us fairly." She said, "Honey, why don't you just go tell that to the Lord?" A little bit later, he was smiling. His wife said, "You look different. What happened?" He said, "Well, I told the Lord how bitter I was that the president received this tremendous homecoming, while no one greeted us when we returned home. Then it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and said, 'Son, you are not home yet.' " God has a wonderful home he is preparing for us. He sees all those things you do for Him, and He will bless you. But those are not the focus of our Father. He desires that we get home. For some of us, that journey takes longer and is more difficult than for others. When I begin to feel like I haven’t really been given the best in life, I simply need to remember I’m not home yet. The end of the journey has been written in the heart of my heavenly Father. Whatever the path looks like to get there won’t matter at all when I see his open arms welcoming me home. Enjoy your walk through life. It really is a very short stroll compared to eternity with Him!