Reward at the End

Once in a while we have to stop and take note of the circumstances we find ourselves in. Often times we get caught up in the momentary issues and problems that can so easily take over our lives. But the one thing that I often have trouble with is seeing the end results or the finish line.

To give you and example, when my daughter was little, 3 or 4 years old, we would take road trips to visit my parents in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time we lived in the Western suburbs of Chicago and that made for a 460 mile road trip. Normally the trip would take about eight to nine hours, depending how often we stopped. We would pack the usual items to keep a small child and two adults entertained through a rather boring drive. Now before anyone complains, Western Illinois and Iowa are beautiful, but when much of what you see is herds of unprocessed hamburger and rows and rows of unrefined breakfast cereal, it gets a little boring.

Now my daughter, at that age, had the attention span of a goldfish. There was one thing that kept her going. When she would ask “Are we there yet?”, it was not because she was tired of sitting, but she was looking forward. She wanted to see Grandma and Grandpa . . . and Kodi, my mother’s Siberian Husky. Her excitement was almost contagious.

When we would cross over the Missouri River and pass by Henry Doorily Zoo, we would tell her we were getting close. As we made each turn, her smile would get progressively bigger. Her excitement exploded as we walked in and she gave her grandma and grandpa some of the biggest hugs you could ever get.

After spending several days with Grandma and Grandpa, you would think the return trip would be full of tears for a young child, but not for her. She had something to look forward to once again. The long drive was filled with anticipation. It was Tori, our little white toy poodle waiting at home. He was her buddy.

After a few of these trips, I realized she reminded me of a principle that God so wants us learn and one that I struggle with on a daily basis, especially lately. God has told us not to be anxious for today, but to look forward to the joy we have waiting for us in Heaven. When the Isrealites were led out of Egypt, God went before them as a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of clouds by day. Those who were faithful, kept their eyes looking head to were God was leading them, not to each step their foot made, not to each stone that was in their path. Though they did not exactly know where God was leading them, they did know it was the land God had promised, the reward at the end of their journey.

God never promised us an easy life, an easy walk, just look at the lives of Moses or Paul. But in a letter to the church in Phillipi, Paul writes “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Life can really suck sometimes. Going through transition, facing discrimination, dealing with the uneducated and insulting can really wear on a person. All this on top of our regular crap like bills, car repairs and household chores.

I just serves as a great reminder that at a very young age, my daughter had something that many adults have a difficult time grasping. She had something I am still trying to learn. She was not concentrating on the Discomforts of the now, but she was looking forward. For her, she saw the reward at the end of the journey.

Tags: featured, religion, spirituality, Transgender

Category: Transgender Body & Soul