Longing

I was recently talking with a friend in DC about how living as middle class American Christians, we are insulated from so much pain and suffering that we sometimes miss the blessing of really longing for heaven. Here in South Sudan, I am still insulated from so much, but simply hearing awful stories from friends and colleagues of yet another rape, another baby dead for no reason, another bombing… it is hard not to despair.

All this death and fighting and lack of food is making me so tired and leaving me with a true longing for the Kingdom of God. I often think back to what John said in a sermon years ago, that every time we see injustice or feel pain, it is a reminder to us that heaven is coming, and that this world is not it. It is a reminder to not put our faith or hope in the things of this world because they are passing away- and thank God for that!

There is a beautiful song by Andrew Peterson called “After the Last Tear Falls,” which I was listening to today. Here are a few of the lyrics:

after the last tear falls

after the last secret’s told

after the last bullet tears through flesh and bone

after the last child starves

and the last girl walks the boulevard

after the last year that’s just too hard.

there is love.

love, love, love.

there is love.

…

and in the end…

we’ll see how the tears that have fallen

were caught in the palms of the giver of love, the lover of all,

and we’ll look back on these tears as old tales.

Amen. May God give us the gift of longing for what is coming next.

-Stephanie 

Personal photo of Juba at sunset