Hope for the Hard Journey
Author: Chara Donahue
Author: Chara Donahue
There is this running theme found
in every work of creation – literature, poetry, and movies: the life you see
before you is all there is. Ralph
Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” While a beautiful
thought with a thread of truth worth contemplating, there IS a destination. For
those who see their need for Jesus – to heal their hurts, to wash their stains,
and assuage the pain they have inflicted on others – this destination is heaven.
A place of beauty, perfection, and eternal life beyond anything we can imagine,
and filled with the glory of God.
Yes, we can learn as we live our
individual journeys. We should always be praying that we remain teachable, see
the beauty breaking forth from each day, and have eyes to see what God is
revealing here and now. Yes, we should enjoy the journey on the way to where we
are going. But for the Christian, the journey is always pointing toward and
longing for the destination: home.
I love the hope found in the story of Ruth. It’s the story of a woman that many can relate to, because her journey was hard. A dead
husband, no children, a bitter mother-in-law, and she is moving to a culture foreign
to all she has known. Yet, she faithfully places her life into the hands of the
God of the Israelites, and continues to walk even when her knees are buckling
from the weight of the world. It is on this labored trek of endurance that she
meets her redeemer (Boaz) a foreshadow of our own (Jesus <3). This poem was inspired by my interaction with
God as I processed Ruth’s story.
Ruth: I know
You invite me on a journey immersed in chesed* [1].
A woman burdened by bitterness, longing, and dread.
You called me away from the place I thought home
And you beckoned me from the dessert I roamed[2].
Seems too good to be true, but I draw in a breath.
I weep forward, my clothes of mourning find death[3].
Here you cleanse me, and draw me to your table of grace[4].
I am willing to be willing, please show me your face.
Where you go I go, and your redemption you bring[7].
A great love story you offer, and here I will stay.
The birth of hope makes up my eternal bouquet.
A veil of legacy flows[8]
as you transform my life
That has been rescued from hell, rescued from strife[9].
I began almost drowning in the tears that I cried
But the conclusion is perfect when you’re Jesus’ bride[10].
YES, this journey is hard and it is good… but the
destination… oh ladies, the destination is better.
IT IS BETTER, no question.
IT IS BETTER, no question.
HEAVEN AWAITS.
Heaven awaits, but let us live our lives so that when we get there we hear our Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Let’s live well women, let’s live for our Jesus. Let’s risk loving, risk stepping out in faith, risk having the courage to hope, and may the source of our hope be anchored.
*Chesed : To show kindness or chesed is
to act in a loyal, loving way to a person. This is true of kindness in human
relationships and of the kindness God shows us.
For further study on the book of Ruth check
out Kelly Minter’s study: http://www.lifeway.com/Product/RUTH-LOSS-LOVE-LEGACY-MEMBER-BOOK-P005189427
&
For a little dreaming about what her story may have looked like in a different time and place, check out Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs.
&
For a little dreaming about what her story may have looked like in a different time and place, check out Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs.