Airports are emotional places. People embrace joyfully, kiss passionately, cry openly, wait expectantly for that first (or last) glimpse. The intensity can be exhausting. In some ways, the unpleasant parts of traversing an airport help ease that emotional burden. Any sorrow about departing is erased in the hustle and stress of making sure you make it to the gate on time. Your focus switches from what you’re leaving behind to what lies ahead.
Near the end of his life, Peter wrote a letter to encourage believers undergoing persecution. He says, “The end of all things is near” (1 Peter 4:7). I suppose you could construe it as a warning – Time’s running out, better get your act together. But maybe it’s a consolation – You’re almost to the end of your journey. Keep your focus on what lies ahead.
I haven’t faced persecution, but I have been worn out and ready for change. If that sounds like you right now, can I encourage you to hang in a little while longer? Don’t discount the unexpected workings of God. Joseph’s brothers were saved from starvation by the brother they had sold into slavery (Genesis 50:20). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were saved after they were thrown into the furnace (Daniel 3). The officials who opposed the reconstruction of the Temple were ordered to finance the building project (Ezra 5:2-6:12). The wise men didn’t find the Messiah in the palace, but in a stable (Matthew 2:1-11).
Maybe the best part of your story will begin after whatever you’re going through right now. God’s timing isn’t subject to our desires. He orders all things according to His perfect plan to save and redeem Creation (2 Peter 3:9). It’s easy to get bogged down in circumstances, to let worry or pain or sorrow occupy the battleground of your thoughts and get so focused on the journey, that you forget the destination. But when you do that, you lose track of where you are. You don’t even know if you’re in the homestretch. So look up! “Set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts” (Colossians 3:1-2). Keep your focus on the One who lies ahead and He will give you fresh strength to endure the journey.