A television morning show co-host shared with her audience that she has a rare blood cancer. She will be undergoing a bone marrow transplant and will be away from the show for some time. All along, from the diagnosis, through the initial treatment and now with the impending transplant, she has kept a smile on her face. She says life is a journey and her health troubles are part of it, so she intends to carry on with courage and poise.
Even though the phrase is a little over used and can seem trite, it is true. Life is about the journey. But I wonder what people imagine is at the end? Can you really think of life as a journey and not give some thought to the destination?
Some believe this life, this journey, is all there is and the light will simply go out at the end. Others fear what will happen after death. Some come up with religions and theories about reincarnation or becoming part of the universe. Some have no idea and live their lives without any care about what’s next. They decide to cross that bridge when they get to it.
When I ride my bicycle, I travel my usual route or I might take a detour if a side road looks interesting, but either way I arrive back home. The joy is in what I see along the way, from birds, squirrels and the occasional coyote, to the people I meet. They can be other cyclists, walkers and joggers and sometimes, the woman who drives the animal control truck. I enjoy the changing weather, the daily challenge of making it up the hills and the cool breeze when I race down them. I occasionally grouse about bad drivers or people cycling the wrong way in the bike lane, but I always enjoy the ride.
Our journey of life is the same. It’s meant to be enjoyed, to live each moment, relishing the blessings and all the people who cross our paths. And just as I always end up at home, when our hope is in Christ, we know our final destination will be at home with God. Some of the details are unclear to us, but we know enough not to fear. We know God will give us new bodies, just like Jesus’ resurrected body; we will be with him forever and will never die again. We know we will be with our loved ones and all the saints who have ever lived. The future will be amazing and surprising in ways we can’t imagine now.
The morning show staff is supportive of their ailing co-host and has done a segment on her journey. I suppose it’s not politically correct to talk about her final destination and audiences don’t want to hear about failed treatments and death. But it’s encouraging to know that after the hard parts of life, climbing the steep hills and riding through the rough patches, we’ll all make it home in the end.