And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know you seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you (Matthew 28:4-7 KJV).
The race for 2026 has begun, and I’m still at the gate. How are you doing?
Whether you are ahead, stuck in the middle, or lagging behind, take heart. The year is still young. Extend yourself some grace. Make a plan. Keep your eyes on the finish line. God is with us.
This month’s hymn is an encouraging word about winning the race and receiving the prize. Let’s take a look.
Oren Adolphus Parris (1897-1966), a native of Jefferson County, Alabama, served as a bugler in World War I. A prolific songwriter, he became a key figure in the publishing business. In 1997, he was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
I am on the upward road, leading to that bright abode,
Where forever my soul shall be free;
Won’t that be a happy time, heaven’s bells will sweetly chime,
When the home gates swing open for me.
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 11:16).
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever (Revelation 22:5).
That will be a happy day,
When the clouds have passed away
From my cares I shall be free,
When the home gates swing open for me.
Tho’ sometime the path may lead thru the vale of sin and greed,
Jesus ever my refuge will be;
Soon at home my trials o’er, I shall praise Him evermore,
When the home gates swing open for me.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice, Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee (Psalm 5:11).
I’ll keep walking in His light, till my faith shall end in sight,
He will lead me till safe o’er the sea;
I shall find a welcome there, and a crown of glory wear,
When the home gates swing open for me.
But as it is written, 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 Corinthians 2:9).
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
When the Home Gates Swing Open (1927) | Oren Adolphus Parris | Public Domain
Be strong. Take courage. The Lord is on our side.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen (Revelation 22:21).
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him (Lamentations 3:24).
Have you ever had one of those stormy seasons when it seems the winds will never cease?
Ever had a season when you prayed and prayed, and instead of an answer, you got rain?
It all began when I took time off to format my book. At my yearly eye exam, I was told I needed cataract surgery. “You’ll need to wait until after the surgery to buy glasses.”
Really?
The leg on my glasses had come loose at the drill mount. Rather than the usual nine o’clock position, it hung at the eight. I had been dizzy for weeks because of it. I avoided reading and writing until one Sunday afternoon when, for some odd reason, the leg moved again. This time it moved to the ten o’clock position. But at least I could see clearly enough to read. So I glued that bad boy into place. Yay!
After Bible study one morning, my daughter and I were talking. I removed my glasses, and the leg caught on my Bible and popped off completely! No matter. I could still see. Only the protective coating began peeling. Think of looking out a windshield smeared with grease and the window tint peeling. But I was okay with it, I was having surgery. In fact, we were laughing about it all because it was so ridiculous.
The winds rose.
My daughter twisted her ankle. It turned black and blue. Thankfully, X-rays showed no broken bones.
My utility room flooded. Bought new washer. Threw traitor out the door. Replaced old spigot. Broke the PVC pipe. More flooding. Fixed pipe. Installed washer. Washed clothes. Drain pipe worked loose. More flooding. Strapped that boy in. Problem solved until the next morning when I washed a load of clothes. More flooding. Remembered Helene. Argh. Went outside and found the problem. Worked for several hours. Fixed problem. Realized my glasses had fallen off my face. Looked for them. Couldn’t see the frameless wonder. Texted family. Daughter said, “What in the world, Momma!” Hubby came home and found them. The one leg was bent, and a nose piece was missing. I had stomped on them several times. My hero straightened the leg. The new eye doctor’s office felt sorry for me and replaced the nose piece for free. Still laughed at all of it.
The waves strengthened.
Eye surgery went well. I could see! I read the small line on the eye chart for the first time in my life. (I’ve worn glasses since I was three.) Ha!
Two weeks later, I was dismissed but still had to take the meds for two more weeks. To celebrate, I went outside to piddle around. Three bees got into my hair. (Have you seen my hair?) My daughter found two. The third one stung my trapezius muscle.
Growing up, my dad was a beekeeper. I got used to bee stings. Not this kind! I’m not sure if it was the meds or the Hashimoto’s, but my arm swelled and felt like it was on fire for three days and nights.
Y’all, those who know me will tell you she’s no wimp. But the bee, well, I had a moment. It hurt to laugh during those days. So I kept quiet.
One afternoon, a thought popped into my head. I say “popped” because I know it wasn’t mine!
That thought? “Can you think of a reason to praise Him now?”
Before I could process my answer, I had another thought. This time it was mine. “Yes, I can. I thank God only one bee stung me!”
Week three, my body began reacting more and more to the meds. The pain and nausea kept me on the couch. It became so bad that I almost called my daughter to take me to the emergency room. Instead, I called my three prayer partners. Five minutes later, the pain had subsided enough that I could stand it. After an “abnormal” reaction to the drops, I called the eye doctor, who sent me to my doctor for tests. Praise the Lord, everything came back normal. It was the drops. Four days after I took the last drop, the pain was gone.
During all this time, I had to decide whether to publish my manuscript or remove excess flab. It had been edited and proofed. But my proofreader, who is an editor, suggested it was too long. When I began formatting, it had more pages than I wanted. With everything else going on, I got stuck in a wave of failure for a while. But in the end, I made the painful decision to wait. I felt peace.
Now I know you may not believe this. And I can tell you, looking back, I find it hard to believe. Not where God is concerned, but where I’m concerned. Through all of it, there was this unexplainable sweet peace and joy abiding in my heart. And a hymn rolling around in my head. It was as if I was numb to all the action but not the pain and grief. I cried, I prayed. The morning of my tests, I was hurting. I walked like I was on eggshells because of the pain. I asked the Lord, “How do I get through this storm?” Psalm 23 came to mind. I had my answer.
To get to the other side, I had to sail “through” the storm.
God was and is faithful through it all.
The blessings I spoke about in an earlier post are joy in the midst of sorrow and peace amid chaos.
I am so thankful for this season. I’m sure I’ve cultivated more treasure, but it is yet to be revealed. I’m not on the other side of this storm yet. But my Captain is with me, and I know when He speaks, the storm will cease. And I give Him thanks today!
Gail Johnson 