Almost Home
2 Timothy 4:7 (NIV)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
[This is the eighth devotion in a series of twelve songs that have impacted us during our grief journey]
Are you disappointed
Are you desperate for help
You know what it's like to be tired
And only a shell of yourself
Well you start to believe
You don't have what it takes
'Cause it's all you can do
Just to move much less finish the race
From the moment I lost my son, I struggled with the idea of imagining the road ahead of me. None of us know the number of days we have on this earth but the concept of moving into my future without my son was almost impossible to grasp. I pictured in my head the long straight stretches of road as we took our family trips from Missouri to California each summer. Roads that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon. Facing life with our broken family seemed like walking those roads with a limp. It seemed like an impossible task. The lyrics to Almost Home by MercyMe have encouraged me to press on in that journey. It captures the difficulty of attempting to finish the race
Well this road will be hard
But we win in the end
Simply because of Jesus in us
It's not if but when
So take joy in the journey
Even when it feels long
Oh find strength in each step
Knowing heaven is cheering you on
The line about taking joy in the journey even when it feels long always brings a mix of emotions to my soul. In one sense it is a source of inspiration yet at the same time it taps into the emotions connected to memories associated with our family. Each summer we would drive from Missouri to California and it was a running joke within our family to say “Enjoy the journey”. It would take three days to make the drive and I would always remind the kids that our vacation was not only about the destination but also the journey. Those summer trips are filled with memories of the fun we had when we reached California but when we reflect on those trips many memories were also made on the roads in between. Today I find myself in the “in between”. I am between the life I had with my son and the life I will have in eternity with him. The key question is what will I do with the “in between”? I think Bryce would tell me to take joy in the journey. I know he is cheering us on. He would not want us to wait merely mourning but would challenge us to fearlessly finish the race. When you consider our time compared to eternity we are almost home. I pray for the strength to fight the good fight, keep the faith, and finish the race.
We are almost home
Brother it won't be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
