Going, Going, Gone

This past summer we took our kids to their first real baseball game. As luck would have it, one of the players hit a home run. The announcer came over the loudspeaker and exclaimed, “It’s going, going and it is gone!” The ball sailed over the stands and the barriers and the crowd cheered. But my three-year-old stopped cold. A look of total distress crossed his face. He looked at me and cried, “Ball gone! Game done? Come back ball!”

He didn’t understand what was happening. He thought all was lost with the loss of the ball. But the best was yet to come. Elisha thought all was lost with Elijah’s departure, but the best was yet to come. The game continued, as did Elisha’s ministry.

There are moments in life when we think the game is over and lost. When we, like Elisha, want to tear our clothes in grief. But the best is yet to come. God has a purpose and a calling for each one of us.

Dear Lord, keep our eyes cast toward you, even in moments of loss and grief. You will never abandon us. The best is yet to come. Amen. — VB