His Face

Dear Few and Faithful Blog Followers:
It has been so long since I wrote! Not only has it been difficult to find quietness to distill my thoughts into words, but I have somehow felt unable to write about the things that have been touching me most deeply.

I've been thinking so much about my future--decisions that have to be made, opportunities that will be encountered, people I hope to meet (mostly one person :), difficulties that I will face, sorrows that might come. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the "what ifs" and "what abouts" and to let them take the joy and excitement out of the prospect of fifty or so more years of walking with God and discovering His plans for me.

This made me think of something that I wrote several years ago in a journal, when I was meditating on what might be my favorite single verse, Revelation 22:4, "And they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads."

"There are some whose minds are clouded by despair, plagued by depression--they shall see His face, and their darkness will be light.

"Others weep with wounded hearts, bound by sorrow and suffering--they shall see His face, and their sorrow will be swallowed up by joy.

"Some push through life with arms that feel painfully empty, finding loneliness their constant companion--they shall see His face, and their love-hunger will be filled to overflowing.

"Some bear the burden of misunderstanding, hurt by those they seek to help--they shall see His face, and it won't matter anymore.

"Some empty themselves in sacrificial service, worn out in labors of love--they shall see His face, and it will be worth it all.

"There are some who trust, yet falter, tortured by fears and uncertainty--they shall see His face, and their doubts will be gone.

"And there are some who devote their lives to the good rather than the best things--they shall see His face, and their perspective will be transformed.

I don't know about you, but somehow the trials and tribulations that the next fifty years might hold, don't seem so terrifying in the light of this hope. And all my treasured little plans don't seem quite so important. Because pretty soon Rachel and Jesus Christ the Lord are going to be looking at one another face to Face--and I CAN'T WAIT!! :)

Make us Thy mountaineers--
We would not linger on the lower slope.
Fill us afresh with hope, O God of Hope,
That undefeated we may climb the hill
As seeing Him who is invisible.

Let us die climbing. When this little while
Lies far behind us, and the last defile
Is all alight, and in that light we see
Our Leader and our Lord--what will it be?

~Amy Carmichael