There Will Be a Day

 

I was repeating the song lyrics to myself like a mantra last week. There will be a day, with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day, when the burdens of this place will be no more: we'll see Jesus face to face. There were a few reasons for that, actually - Jessina and I were choreographing a dance to this Jeremy Camp song, and I was reminding myself of this message to give me courage in the face of some difficult things I was facing.

There will be a day.

I know much has been said about living in light of eternity, but I recently realized that I certainly haven't been living this way. How would my life change, I wondered, if I clung to the promises in the Bible, of the time when everything will be new and wonderful and perfect, when there will be no more burdens, no more tears? Would that promise have any bearing on my life today?

I discovered that it does. Trials don't seem so big, because I have my eyes on the Conqueror, and know they won't last. I have more courage to face them, because I know they won't last. And while my heart cries at the sorry state of the world today, I still have hope - that one day all these horrible, pointless, and unfair things won't happen. One day everything will be right.

And the beauty that's in store/Outweighs the hurt of life's stings.

One day, I will understand what has been going on and why; I will be able to see the beautiful tapestry that was being woven when I could only see the black threads. And it will be undeniably worth it.

There will be a day when the burdens of this world will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face.

Even when my life seems to be sailing beautifully, living in light of eternity means that my preoccupations are different. Granted, I haven't been living out this last one well at all. But still, if we have our eyes on the horizon, the petty things our culture is obsessed with will seem just that - petty and pointless and probably pathetic. (Yes, I like alliteration!) Our focus should be lifted off ourselves when we realize that not only is life not about us, but we are transitory and have only one short life to live. (Even though, as a teenager with everything stretching before us, it doesn't seem so short right now!) And we only get one chance at life. By keeping our eyes on the finish line, we'll realize more than ever that we don't want to get trapped in petty worries and selfish living, that we don't want to get to the end of our lives only to stare "that day" in the face and realize I've wasted it.

We all know the verse about running with perseverance. But did you ever notice that it's really hard to run well, and "finish strong" when you can't even see the finish line, when it seems light years away? Yet it's precisely now, at the start of our race, that we must be looking ahead and seizing the promises and the courage. Otherwise, we may forget that there is a finish line until it's too late.

There will be a day. 

-- from the archives