fishpot lake

I remember when my kids were just strange little creatures with runny noses and beady little eyes.  Our family income was not much bigger. Fancy summer vacations like going to Disneyland were out of the question.

Instead, we rented  a cabin in the Caribou region of British Columbia. There was

• No plumbing.
• No electricity.
• No phone or cell service.

It took over ten hours to drive to the place. Then, we drove an hour and 1/2 drive off the last stretch of paved road.

For weeks we fished, swam and hiked.

At night we huddled on an overstuffed couch that sat on the front porch. My mother-in-law used to huddle with us.

Even though

1. The nights were chilly,
2. The couch was musty,
3. The gnats terrifyingly hungry,

we didn’t mind. We were together. Giggling and making silly jokes. Telling scary stories.

Under the weight of a thousand old blankets we watched the moon shimmer on the lake. We listened to the loons call to each other in the darkness.

I knew it wasn’t forever. This time with my mother-in-law. Although she was barely sixty, a brain disease was rapidly devouring her quality of life. The ability to

• walk,
• write,
• and eventually to speak.

But, when we huddled on the couch she changed. Relaxed. Gave into the call of the loons and the light of the moon.  For a while, the weariness of her struggles seemed to fall away.

When it’s all said and done, all we have are each other. To share joy, sorrow, pain and wonder.

Jesus didn’t promise each of us a million dollars or even the praise of men.

Instead, He promised relationship.

“…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus told His disciples. This promise stayed with those men through hunger, persecution and even death.

Jesus has promised to be with every believer. Huddled on the couch of His presence, we behold the majesty of God. The glory of His love. The precious gift of being together.

Forever.