"Directly"

 He sang about the Savior,

As down the road we went,

In his old red pick-up truck,

No doubt that he was sent,

To love a little boy like me,

And give me that good time,

I remember like a yesterday,

The memories are fine.

Grandaddy was an Irishman,

Strong, but not too tall,

But he was full of life you see,

And every time he’d call,

I was glad to run and meet him,

And down the road we’d go,

He’d sing “Precious Jesus, Hold My Hand,”

And all the words he’d know.

I sometimes then would ask him,

When will Jesus come again,

He’ll be along directly,

I never knew just when.

And that old word “directly,”

We never use these days,

For him it meant it won’t be long,

When I think about that phrase.

Grandaddy was a carpenter,

Worked hard all his life,

Married sixty years and more,

To Granny, his one wife.

And toward the end when she was gone,

Dementia took his mind,

But sitting there for one last time,

For me, once more could find,

He hummed it, then he sang it,

That good old gospel song,

I knew his time on earth was short,

And soon he would be gone.

When do you think He’ll come again,

I asked him like before,

He’ll be along directly,

And time will be no more.

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57, NLT)

Life and human history itself has an expiration date. The Lord of time and eternity, who conquered death when He rose on the third day, will come again to destroy death forever. Because we know this, the sting of physical death has been removed. We grieve the loss of a loved one, but our grief is not hopeless. Our good-byes are temporary because we know the Lord will have the final say. Paul said we should be strong, immovable and work enthusiastically for the Lord because of this. He was right.

Lord, help us live thankfully, knowing You are our hope for time and eternity, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by J.L. Grief, jlgrief.com. Used by permission. Thanks, John, and God bless you.