From one moment to the next, the journey is altered.
From the expected path to the sudden detour,
from the smooth flow of everyday living to the jagged upheaval of a life interrupted,
from the easy assumption of the future to the hard reality of mortality,
we have had our steps diverted into a path unknown, a path unsought, a path unwelcome.
But, a path known to our God, allowed through His loving hands,
and therefore to be accepted and used to His glory.
One day, we wake up and drink our coffee and read the paper and have our breakfast and morning devotions and life is ordinary. Oh, there is a doctor’s appointment later in the day, but it is routine, a follow up for some minor surgery that Bob had, welcome in that we hope there will be some solution for lingering nausea that has persisted this past week.
We go in prepared to hear that all is well, all is as it should be from the surgery.
But the words are different than we expect.
The words are hard to understand…..biopsy, malignancy, stage 4, life threatening.
We hear the words with our ears but they slide away almost uncomprehended... familiar words but without meaning when applied to Bob, my healthy, 3 mile a day walking, all normal physical check-up history, regular gym work-outs husband. Questions are asked, answers given, but there is little emotional impact, not yet. We hold it out, away from our inner selves, as if we can choose not to receive it, like an unwanted gift.
Later, as I examine these ugly words, as they begin to take on substance, I think, “Life as we know it is now over. Today marks the dividing line between what was and what is.”
The journey has moved us into unknown terrain and nothing will ever be the same.
Unlike the journeys we have chosen for ourselves, this journey can not be meticulously planned on Trip Advisor, searched for the most scenic views, the most unique experiences, the best places to stay and eat. This is a step onto an unmarked path, a trip whose duration and topography is a mystery, and each curve may reveal a new roadblock, a new detour, a new stretch of rocky surface or even new scenery to bring respite to our souls.
But, the author and perfector of our lives is still in control. He is aware of all that we will face in this journey, and has already gone ahead of us to make provision for all that we will need. He knows the way that we take, and when we are finished, we shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:10)
Not by our power, not for our glory, but because of the cross and because of the resurrection and because the gospel is true.
Only because Jesus is the way in the journey, and Jesus is the strength for the journey and Jesus is the destination of the journey and the glory of Jesus is the reason for the journey can we even rise up from the blow and stagger forward.
And we know that, in the very act of journeying, we are also dwelling between his shoulders, and He is carrying us. We journey, but we are at home. We stumble, but we are carried. Such is the mystery of being a child of God.
So, as we take these faltering steps into a journey unknown, we ask you, our friends who have shared our journey so far, to go with us ,as you are able.
To pray us through this,
to love us,
to let us be honest and real with you when we need someone to cry with us,
to rejoice with us in the good moments that we will have,
to share laughter with us,
and to just be present in the journey.
What we need most, along with your prayers, is for you to be present with us,
"Jesus with skin on” as a little girl once expressed it.
How much or how little I will share here, I don’t yet know, but the purpose of this blog is to tell of dwelling in the journey. Of finding a way of being at home in the Lord while we travel an unknown path to an unknown place, and to hopefully encourage someone else as we go.
