The best is yet to come

I am currently sitting at Dunn Bros Coffee, my new favorite place to spend an afternoon. Not only do they have good coffee, but a free wireless internet connection as well. So I'm surfing, researching, and downloading a few new songs to iTunes. It's Sunday, and I'm in between services at my church. Instead of listening to the house music, I plugged in my earphones and pulled up my Favorites playlist.

It's been a difficult few weeks. I'm winding down with school, the church is in a huge budget crisis, and we are going to be short even more team members in Student Ministries than we expected this year. Plus, we're facing staff cuts and possible layoffs that will be announced this week. It was two years ago, January 13, 2002, that I was laid off from a different position at the church. It was a rough time for me, teaching me to fully rely on God and trust Him for things I'd never wanted for before, like food on the table and a place to stay. This time now is reminding me of that, as some will probably be facing the same situation. Maybe even me again.

These are times when I look to God for wisdom, guidance, and just enough grace to face the day at hand. As I'm sitting here this afternoon, an appropriate song has come up on my playlist. It's called "The Best is Yet to Come" by Scott Krippayne, and it means a lot to me. Here are the lyrics:

The race is long, sometimes I stumble. He helps me up each time I fall. When I lose hope, He gives me courage, so I press on and give my all. And I know I'll never have to run alone. And I can hardly wait to make it home. The best is yet to come. The promise of heaven awaits. I'll finally see my Lord and Savior face to face. For He has set me free for all eternity. When my life on earth is done, the best is yet to come. In every joy, in every trial, I need to keep my eyes on Him.
He is the Way, my soul Provider, no matter how the road may bend. When earthly treasures cloud my point of view, He reminds me that I'm only passing through.

I'm on this earth for but a brief moment. And my purpose is singular: to bring God glory. That is why He created me. What does that look like? Well, it is a lot of things. To me, it means praising Him in the good times and the bad, worshipping Him through songs even when I don't feel like singing, doing the work He has set before me, and thanking Him for everything, even the difficult things in life.

I press on in the race, even though it seems long, tiring, and neverending. Every time I stumble or fall, Jesus picks me up, sets me back on the track, and lets me continue the race. He doesn't disqualify me if I break a rule, though He expects me to acknowledge that I did it and turn around to go the right way again. And He stays right along side me the entire way--I am never, ever, alone. When my courage is waning and I feel I have no strength, He gives me the grace I need for the moment and for everything I face, providing all I need to go on.

Why do I keep running the race? Why do I continue to press on at times when the course is only uphill, my enemies are chasing me, and it seems I'll never make it? Because that is what my Lord deserves from me. And because I know that once my life on earth is over, heaven is waiting and it's even better than anything on earth could ever be--truly, the best is yet to come.