Tuesday, January 20, 2015

For the Road Leads Home

Most of my (perhaps five) readers know that last fall my little girl was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, just weeks before her 10th birthday. The blow felt devastating, and we have a long road ahead of us. With the new year, I began reading Streams in the Desert, a well-known devotional, in which I found the following poem:

“But you will not mind the roughness nor the steepness of the way,
Nor the chill, unrested morning, nor the searness of the day;
And you will not take a turning to the left or the right,
But go straight ahead, nor tremble at the coming of the night, 
For the road leads home.”

So strongly did it touch my heart, I resolved to commit it to memory. This rough and steep way involves carb counting, insulin dosing and glucose checking. It may mean sleepless nights battling stubborn lows, mornings dealing with highs that make her angry and aggressive. Grief must be faced head on, not turning to denial nor succumbing completely to depression. "Be brave, my soul, fear not the long years ahead, for the road leads home, to Jesus, who is with you every step of the way."

May this poem renew your courage, too, in your life's unique challenges.