"Wonder"

Did you ever wonder,

About how things will be,

When the trail is over,

And it’s done for you and me.

Seems like these days too often,

There’s someone whom I know,

That’s ending this life’s journey,

It’s just their time to go.

Have you thought you’d resist it,

When you finish your last ride,

When you’ve turned loose your pony,

When death comes, will you hide.

What if you’ve gotten tired,

Of living here on earth,

And just feel too exhausted,

When you loosen that old girth.

Or maybe you keep ridin’,

Way long after dark,

So they send out some searchers,

To help you turn your heart,

To the door that’s finally opened,

And the one that has just closed,

Time to go on through it,

And accept it, I suppose.

There’s something sad about it,

But really not so much,

And that’s because of saving grace,

And knowing Jesus’ touch.

Going straight into His arms,

Is what this life’s about,

Best not to hold onto it,

Greet heaven with a shout.

And then will come the riders,

From that other side,

Sent as heaven’s partners,

When crossing the divide.

And, yes, you see they’re smiling,

And urging us to come,

All the sadness flies away,

‘Cause we’ll be going home.

But best of all there’s Jesus,

And nothing beats His smile,

Today we live abundantly,

Then heaven in awhile.

So now let’s live on purpose,

God’s in control we know,

He’s with us every day we live,

And on our last we go.

“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance- an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay…” (1 Peter 1:3-4, NLT)

Death should never be something we dread. Rather we live life with eager anticipation concerning what comes next. This is not only about living eternally, but concerns everything about life with God forever. Peter calls it our “priceless inheritance” and so it is. It will be partially enjoyed by us when we die, but even then not completely. The fullness of our inheritance will only come when time itself is ended and history has its “last day.” Then, the full gift of our salvation will be manifested, and all that went before will end. Do we understand it all? Hardly! But do we live with great expectation? Absolutely!

Lord, help us realize that death is simply a doorway into Your eternal destiny for us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.