At An Angle

Have you ever been riding in a car with your child and they burst out with excitement  - Hey, Mommy, look at that!...?

So you look in the general direction they pointed and can't seem to see anything worth noticing. 

 - Over there! they squeal.

Trying to match their delight, you look harder. 

 - I don't see anything, honey.

 - Mooom... just look again. You have tilt your head at angle to see it from here!

And because they're so excited about whatever it is, you keep searching the skyline for something, anything, out of the ordinary. 

Assuming the object of their attention is still within view, the child proceeds to scramble onto your lap (yes, I know they just unbuckled their seat belt) and peers out of your window to show you what they are talking about. 

 - Oh, Mommy, you can't even see it from here! Your child pouts in dismay.  

We are like that child's mother.

 If we could hear (and I how I wish I could) the voice of our child, no matter how old, they could be saying to us now - "Look, mommy! It's beautiful! I love it here! Come look out your window and I can show you all the good up ahead!" 

 But from where we are - even if we tilt our head at an angle, it seems difficult to see anything out of the ordinary. All we can see is the blackness of the dirt whizzing by our window. There isn't even green grass growing yet.

 But look again, way off in the corner...

 Small miracles can be found. Promises of hope that we can cling to when we have empty arms, and broken hearts, and all we may have left to hold are beautiful, bittersweet memories.

When we can't see anything good from here, we can find the promises of God. 

 The hope of a beautiful future in heaven, forever together with our loved ones, peaceful and glorious.

There is no more pain, no more shame, no separation, no sorrow.

But if you are like most of us in the middle - it's so very hard to see that from here.  
The pain and loss is too great right now. 

Remember, that car you are in -
keeps moving closer to your destination, 
and even if you keep searching that skyline 
and can't quite figure out what you're looking for, 
you can be certain it is there.

You just can't see it at an angle.

  Sue Leerhoff  Brick by Brick