Just out of my reach…

I am gazing at a beautiful painting on a friend’s living room wall, and I am restless. I love the landscape, how the artist has captured the rolling hills capped by majestic mountain peaks in the background—it's all so serene and in fact, calming. But my attention is drawn to a meandering dirt road that flows from the foreground until it disappears below the crown of one of those rolling hills. Where does that road lead to...?

I get a similar feeling when confined to bed, staring out a window but limited by its frame. What does it look like beyond my view? Is there a garden below; are there children laughing and playing on a swing-set?

I get unsettled with books. When they end, I wonder what happened the following day? Yes he finally got the girl, and they headed off for the honeymoon, but what happened the next morning, the next week? Did she wake up with the flu? Did he snore so badly she could not sleep?

Another annoying moment is when I can faintly hear music just above the background noise, but not loud enough to pick up the tune. My brain strains to hear a familiar chord or two, but I just can’t make it out.

Now with music, I can try moving closer to hear the melody. When confined to bed, I know it is a temporary restraint and I will soon have a full view of the yard below. But with a book, there is a hard stop called “The End." Unless there is a sequel I have no idea where the plot goes next. A painting also holds unanswered questions.  Is it a real place? What is beyond those peaks; does the road lead to a lonely cabin or a quaint village up in the hills? It annoys me to likely never know…

Why the drama? I am healthy, I have a wonderful wife and family, I live in a nice home in a lovely community. I enjoy a blessed group of friends, both here and beyond. Yet my mind wants to go further, to travel that winding road, to get over the next hilltop. The unknown is alluring and seductive -- at least until it hits the dead end, until the darkness puts it out of reach.

The lure of the unknown speaks to the joy of mystery and surprise (I often wonder: if God knows everything, how boring life must be for Him!).  When I awoke this morning, I had some plans but no idea how this day would unfold. Will I finish this piece I am writing? After my chores will I have a chance to hike in the woods? Who will I encounter today that I never expected?

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” says an old proverb. The continual postponement of relief eventually wears down the soul. That’s true enough - but what about when there is no hope at all? What happens when destiny seems to have moved on to someone else, and life feels useless, senseless and meaningless? Day after day after day dishes out the same routine…

In sadness I think of those who live in poverty, in a confined space, or in a fragile community. There are those incarcerated for years, in a lonely cell, with a small window if any at all. And then there are the elderly who are ill and weak, sheltered in a nursing home, a place where no one knows them in any real way.

There is no meaningful life without hope. There are too many bumps and bruises in the present to keep our spirits up. Very few wish to stay as they are or where they are. The impoverished dream of riches, the prisoner yearns for freedom, the one in the nursing home cries out for friendship. While my longing to know the pathway’s destiny seems so trivial, each of us is hoping for more, dreaming of a change. If the prospect for change fades, the human soul withers.

The allurement to what remains unknown makes me restless, but there is a quiet pathway towards truth that also brings joy. How is it that I face the unknown with hope? Years ago I began to trust in the character of the Creator of this world. How do I know His character, and that He is trustworthy to hold my future? I see it fully on display in the person of Jesus Christ. Whether you consider yourself religious or not, reading the story of Jesus reveals a character like no other. His story brought me from desiring death to finding a joy-filled hope for the future. If you have never read it, or if it has been a while, take some time to read through the four gospel records in the New Testament. Forget the religion: focus on Christ’s character revealed within the pages.

In the meantime, I struggle over the road to who knows where, I lament over the drama beyond the end of the novel, and I struggle to see what’s beyond that window. While I languish over a troubled world, and the pains of my aging, I have a peace that all will turn out well. After all, I have seen the heart of God, and in His nature I trust.

Now, would someone please turn up that radio…