There’s Light at the End of the Tunnel

We’ve all heard the term “the light at the end of the tunnel.” We say it when going through a dark time in life. Circumstances may be extremely difficult but we see rays of hope ahead, and that hope keeps us going.

Jesus’s followers in the first century wouldn’t have used this term in their day, but they lived in its reality. They were persecuted and abused for their faith, but they persevered because they kept their eyes on God’s special plans awaiting them.  

Peter wrote a letter to these believers

He said,

“Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay… So, be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.” (1 Peter 1:3-4, 1 Peter 1:6)

As I write this, I’m sitting at my mother’s bedside. The doctor suspects her remaining time on earth will soon end. I’m in a tunnel right now, in a dark emotional place. But I see light at the end of it.

My mother placed her faith in Christ for salvation decades ago. Because Jesus rose from the grave and overcame death once for all, Mom will move from this earth to heaven where she’ll spend eternity in His glorious presence. She’ll finally receive the priceless inheritance God has promised and kept in heaven for His children. There’s wonderful joy ahead for her even though it’s necessary for her to endure the trial of illness and death.

There’s wonderful joy ahead for Mom’s family and friends, too. We will miss her like crazy, but we know where she’s going. We grieve our loss but we celebrate her gain. And we see light at the end of the tunnel of sorrow knowing we’ll someday celebrate a great, grand reunion.