At the end of the Last Battle
by C.S. Lewis, as the world of Narnia is ending, a magnificent door is opened
to Aslan’s land and all who enter gain a renewed strength and vigor and joy. As
they begin to run faster and faster with no effort or strain or difficulty,
Aslan encourages them with these words, “Further in and further up! Further in
and further up!”
Those words ring in my ears as we
begin to close the final chapter of our California book. My Jesus has opened a
new door in Georgia, and I can hear His encouragement, I feel His presence by
my side, and while I am not taking my steps daily without much effort, every
movement forward feels like trudging through a muddy mire, difficult, tedious
and laden with sadness, still I hear Him gently whisper, “Keep going. Further
in and further up.” And in that encouragement, my soul stirs with small sparks of
hope. There is more ahead and more beyond.
Onward and upward. The way through the
muck and mire and mud of life is always further in and further up, forward and
higher ground. I find myself re-reading and meditating on Psalm 121 through
these difficult days. A psalm of ascent, nonetheless. How fitting.
Psalm 121 (NIV)
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the
mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot
slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is
your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will
watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
As I read this psalm, I
realize the traveler is not ascending…yet. They lift their eyes because the
ascent is ahead. Onward and upward, further in and further up. They are
probably still in the valley, maybe the valley of the shadow of death. They
must keep going and go through what lies ahead, but their help comes from the
Lord where they lift their eyes to focus.
This is where I am.
Resolute in lifting my eyes daily to Whom my help comes from. The tears will fall,
and the steps are hard, but I am determined to go further in and further up
with my Jesus on the path He has charted. Not once has He left my side. Never
once have I ever walked alone.
Maybe you too find
yourself in the muck and mire and mud of life. The steps are hard and sticky.
Lift your eyes. Set your gaze ahead. Further in and further up. The valley and
the bog will have an end, but until they do there is always more of Jesus to
know. Dive further into Him, and He will lead you further up. He makes the
journey worthwhile. He gives it meaning.
I’m going by the upper
road, for that still holds the sun,
I’m climbing through night’s
pastures where the starry rivers run:
If you should think to
seek me in my old dark abode,
You’ll find this writing
on the door, “(S)he’s on the Upper Road.”
–selection from Streams
in the Desert, July 2. (Emphasis mine)
