Of Journeys We Take

I attended the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Bible College of Malaysia last night. The guest speaker for the evening touched on the theme of the dinner, 'Remarkable Journey, Promising Future' when talking about the journey of the school since its inception to what it is now today. He described some of the challenges that one might face in the journey and this depended on the type of journey he was in. The challenges in the journey by land for example would involve obstacles like mountains, and valleys and having to cross streams. A journey by sea would have to contend with storms and 20 foot waves that threaten to scuttle the ship and where we face the possibility of shipwreck. The journey by air would encounter the risk of air turbulence and thunderstorms and the inherent dangers of crashing.

It reminded me of the fact that the loss of a loved one is something like a setback in one's journey that can often throw one off course from his journey and from reaching his destination. Life's train just got derailed. This is indeed true for me personally and I'm sure it holds true for others in such a similar situation.

I'm reminded of what Jesus said, that in this world we shall have many tribulations (storms, turbulence), (a rather sobering thought) but he has overcome them all. It just reminds us that life is but a constant struggle. We are constantly facing headwinds, contrary winds and there is usually never a smooth sailing. God didn't promise one either.

The apostle Paul was no stranger to sufferings and shipwrecks (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). He talks about being beaten up, shipwrecked thrice, facing perilous journeys and encountering physical deprivation. Paul's life stands out as a shining example of how to overcome (or rather 'manage') setbacks in life while maintaining the course of pressing toward the prize of the high calling of God at the end of his journey.

I wish it would be that simple. The truth of the matter is the journey through grief is never easy. It is not even a straight journey to begin with. Sometimes you off the well beaten track and other times you can go around in circles. I feel as though I'm still at an early part of the journey. Sometimes it feels like driving an old rickety car that moves forward in spurts and then stalls while the engine gets overheated. You just never seem to get ahead and move on in life. Sometimes you know you can't move too fast, and other times you don't want to. But I guess little by little, we should make some progress, eventually.