Light at the end of the tunnel

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

When we talk about the light at the end of the tunnel, we’re saying we can see the end of a difficult problem or situation in our lives. This phrase suggests we should never give up hope because better times lie ahead.

We all go through difficult times, some darker than others. The final months of Daddy’s life were very hard. He was in the nursing home during the pandemic so our visitations were very limited, as were many other families. He was isolated and separated from the ones who loved him most.

As he drew nearer to his final days on earth, I was granted the privilege of getting to go in and see him. He no longer spoke without great effort but he gave me a beautiful gift as I sat there holding his hands. He looked me in the eyes and murmured the words “I love you”!

We are a product of our parents, whether we acknowledge this fact or not. His parents were obviously not huggers nor did they go around saying “I love you”. I don’t remember Daddy ever actually telling me he loved me until after I was married. Now he showed me love continually, but the words didn’t flow easily from his lips. That’s what made those last words I ever heard him speak mean so much.

I couldn’t help but feel sadness but also jubilation when I got the news the next day that Daddy had passed away in his sleep. He was now in the presence of our loving God and his suffering was finally over. The good news is I’ll see him again one sweet day.

As we go through those dark tunnels, with no end in sight, we must persevere. There is hope on the other side, there is light at the end of the tunnel. 1 John 1:5 is a beautiful reminder of the goodness and holiness of God, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” Don’t you just love that. NO DARKNESS AT ALL! When we put our hope in the Lord, we can do or get through anything. Keeping our focus on God rather than our circumstances sheds light on the situation and enables us to persevere through the tunnels of life.