Are We There Yet?
"On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance." Genesis 22:4
When my children were younger, my husband and I decided to take them on a driving trip to Yellowstone. I had very fond memories of going, myself, as a child. There were memories of my brother, Jimmy, losing the Who Can Hit the Softest game, and fighting with my sister, Nancy, over whose thirty-minute turn it was to sit in the middle of the car at various times throughout the trip. This was back in the day before electronics, so parents spent time talking with their children about all manner of things. My father's thoughtful response to the question, "How do bees make honey," took us all the way from Texas to Wyoming.
And so, naively, we reserved the cabin a full year in advance, and loaded up the SUV to begin the thirty-six-hour trek across the country at the appointed time.
We were expecting the usual, "Are we there yet" type questions, and were prepared to show them on the GPS what our parents had once shown to us on the map. We played driving games like Slug Bug, the License Plate Game and I Spy, and they were excited to stretch out on pillows, listening to their favorite music.
What we weren't prepared for was the response once we got there. Where's the television? Why isn't there any wi-fi? Why did we come to a place where there is no internet? Can't we go home now? I want to go home! There's nothing good here!!
After drying their tears and allowing the initial shock to wear off, we gently coaxed our eight and nine-year-old outside. Dylan immediately stepped into a fresh moose patty that was in diameter the size of a redwood tree. A few steps away, we were awed by the massive creature standing no more than an arm's length away. It raised its head to greet us, and Meredith and Dylan greeted him with a warm, "Hello, Mr. Moose!" We continued our walk, laughing and exploring this amazing place.
Later in the day, we sat on the front porch of an old lodge overlooking Lake Yellowstone. I was awestruck by the majesty of God and all that He does, all that He has made. Just then, I felt a gentle hand on my leg, and a soft child's voice whispered, "Can we go home now?" "It's a very long way away. Shouldn't we get started?"
The conversation continued as I redirected my young son to the beautiful, glassy lake.
"What do you see, Dylan?"
There was a long pause.
"Home," Meredith responded on her brother's behalf.
Home. Yes.
Do you see it? Meredith did.
We are not there yet, and sometimes we get discouraged or homesick for our forever home, too. We need to be coaxed outside to explore--though we may step in the occasional moose patty--and welcome the moose.
Hebrews 13:14 says, "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come."
Don't give up. Keep going. There is joy in the journey.
I can see home in the distance.
When my children were younger, my husband and I decided to take them on a driving trip to Yellowstone. I had very fond memories of going, myself, as a child. There were memories of my brother, Jimmy, losing the Who Can Hit the Softest game, and fighting with my sister, Nancy, over whose thirty-minute turn it was to sit in the middle of the car at various times throughout the trip. This was back in the day before electronics, so parents spent time talking with their children about all manner of things. My father's thoughtful response to the question, "How do bees make honey," took us all the way from Texas to Wyoming.
And so, naively, we reserved the cabin a full year in advance, and loaded up the SUV to begin the thirty-six-hour trek across the country at the appointed time.
We were expecting the usual, "Are we there yet" type questions, and were prepared to show them on the GPS what our parents had once shown to us on the map. We played driving games like Slug Bug, the License Plate Game and I Spy, and they were excited to stretch out on pillows, listening to their favorite music.
What we weren't prepared for was the response once we got there. Where's the television? Why isn't there any wi-fi? Why did we come to a place where there is no internet? Can't we go home now? I want to go home! There's nothing good here!!
After drying their tears and allowing the initial shock to wear off, we gently coaxed our eight and nine-year-old outside. Dylan immediately stepped into a fresh moose patty that was in diameter the size of a redwood tree. A few steps away, we were awed by the massive creature standing no more than an arm's length away. It raised its head to greet us, and Meredith and Dylan greeted him with a warm, "Hello, Mr. Moose!" We continued our walk, laughing and exploring this amazing place.
Later in the day, we sat on the front porch of an old lodge overlooking Lake Yellowstone. I was awestruck by the majesty of God and all that He does, all that He has made. Just then, I felt a gentle hand on my leg, and a soft child's voice whispered, "Can we go home now?" "It's a very long way away. Shouldn't we get started?"
The conversation continued as I redirected my young son to the beautiful, glassy lake.
"What do you see, Dylan?"
There was a long pause.
"Home," Meredith responded on her brother's behalf.
Home. Yes.
Do you see it? Meredith did.
We are not there yet, and sometimes we get discouraged or homesick for our forever home, too. We need to be coaxed outside to explore--though we may step in the occasional moose patty--and welcome the moose.
Hebrews 13:14 says, "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come."
Don't give up. Keep going. There is joy in the journey.
I can see home in the distance.
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