Looking Up

Wednesday, November 14, 5:05 p.m. 

Dirty clouds of dust and pollution linger in the air as Jason manoeuvres the Toyota up the steep S curve near our home. Right at the top, traffic comes to a halt and Jason fights to keep our vehicle from sliding back down the incline. 

From our vantage point we can just see the source of the problem. A pickup truck around the corner is changing his tire in the middle of the road; to its left and oversized vehicle is trying to pass.

“Aww man,” Jason groans. “Do you have to change your tire in the middle of the road? Can’t you just push your truck to the side a little! Seriously! This is ridiculous.” 

I sigh. Our team just left this morning and after a busy week we are both tired; nothing that a quiet evening and a good night’s rest can’t fix, but tonight that just isn’t happening. 

“Cough, cough, cough, cough.” In the backseat Jayden breaks out in a serious coughing fit. “Waaa...” to add to the commotion, Justin starts to scream and whine now too. Sitting at an awkward angle in his rear facing car seat is making him uncomfortable.

“Honk, honk.” Traffic is building up all around us. A man steps out of his vehicle in front of us and gets to work directing the oversized vehicle around the pickup blocking the road. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Brakes squeal, horns honk, Jayden keeps coughing, Justin keeps whining and by now the two adults in the car are only hanging on to what’s left of their patience by a very thin thread. 

Finally, after what feels like forever, we squeeze past the vehicle and the man calmly changing his tire, and turn right onto Delmas 83. Suddenly a car veers in front of us and Jason has to break hard to avoid a collision. The sudden stop on the bumpy road makes me feel sick now too. 

Fighting my light headedness I try to focus on a stationary object. Suddenly something catches my eye. Above the grime and filth of the city I see something truly beautiful. A shining pink cloud.
 
Admiring its sheer beauty, verses that I had previously memorized fill my mind and heart. 
 
..Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor 2:9 13 

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13-16 

What a glorious view upward. Soaking it in, the fatigue and stress of the present moment melt away. Faith; because of what Jesus has done for me, I too can have faith that greater things are yet to come. 

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6