Our three-year-old has recently learned to ride a pedal bike which brings both joy and mild terror as a parent - joy at seeing his delight in learning a new skill and watching him zoom down the path; and terror, when at such high speeds the bike begins to wobble, or he starts inadvertently veering towards a hedge or wall. In these moments, it’s almost always because he’s looking down at his bright green pedals, or his bell. As a result, I find myself saying (or shouting!) over and over, “Look where you’re going!” As he looks up and ahead, the wobble eases, my heart rate relaxes and he races forward blissfully unaware of the narrowly avoided accident.
There’s something about looking ahead that can bring a steadiness to our journey as Christians. Too often the daily grind, our present circumstances or even the good gifts of life draw our eyes downwards and all too soon, we feel wobbly and unsteady. It’s easy to lose sight of where we’re headed and feel overwhelmed by the brokenness we see around us and within. And while it’s right to reflect and pray about our present lives and world events, we often forget to look ahead.
What do we see when we look at the horizon?
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21.1-5)
Friend, a day is coming when Jesus will make all things new. Everything will be made perfect with no deterioration, decline or decay. We will stand before Jesus and see His glory in full. There will be no separation between us and the Lord; rather, we will dwell in God’s presence as his people forever with restored desires, bodies and relationships.
Considering this promised reality can help us persevere today no matter how our lives look. For those who are in the midst of a hard season or experiencing deep suffering, looking ahead reminds us that a day is coming when there will be no more tears, or death, or loneliness, or anxiety, or darkness, or abuse, or corruption, or cancer. It gives us hope that the brokenness and evil we see around us will not have the final word.
For those who feel that life is going pretty well, looking ahead to this promised reality reminds us that this world is not our home and that we can hold even the best gifts lightly because our ultimate prize is to be united with God for all eternity.
And for those who feel weary from following Christ and are tempted to quit, the horizon reminds us that every decision and sacrifice made now will be worth it when we stand before King Jesus and see His glory.
So wherever you find yourself today, may you receive renewed hope, strength and faith as you look to the horizon. The best is yet to come.
These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.