The Road Back from Nowhere

 

My latest writing project is a book with the working title, “The Road Back from Nowhere.” None of us ever intend to get to Nowhere, but unfortunately, many have found themselves there before. And for some, it is often. You can find yourself in Nowhere and still be in the middle of your everyday routine.

 

It is similar to a sailing term known as the “doldrums”. Occasionally, a sail boat will hit a patch of water where the winds just stop blowing. Without wind in the sails, there is no way for the vessel to continue on the journey. It can last a short time, or in some cases, a very long time. Those onboard the boat have no recourse except to wait it out. Hopefully, they have enough supplies of food and fresh drinking water to make it.

 

As Christians, we have a clear directive from scripture, given to us by our Creator, as to how to escape the drifting in the doldrums, or how to navigate our way home from Nowhere. It’s called prayer. It’s the lifeline we have, 24/7, to reconnect to the very One who gives us life.

 

The parable Jesus shared that has become known as “The Prodigal Son,” even though Jesus never called it that, gives us some clear insight as to what we need to do if, or when, we find ourselves in Nowhere: return back home to Father!

 

One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite groups from the ‘70s and ‘80s speaks to this very thing. TRUTH used to sing a song called, “All the Way Home”, written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. Read the lyrics below and then listen to the song. I hope, like the prodigal, we find ourselves heading back toward home. Father is always waiting.

 

All the Way Home

 

My rebellion I called freedom took my birthright in its hand

And I woke up in the pigpen of a distant alien land.

But I saw myself this morning, dared to see what God can see,

And admit I’m lost and lonely, so tomorrow, tomorrow I will be

 

On the road back home to Father, I’ll not stop along the way; 

I was born for higher purpose. I’ll not waste another day.

Won’t be camping on the border just inside of what I’ve known;

It is all the way or nothing, all the way back home!

 

Never been a halfway person, all or nothing is for me;

When my footsteps lost direction. I was lost as lost could be.

But at last I’ve learned my lesson, learned from many a troubled day;

Now that I have started homeward, I’ll be goin’ all the way

 

On the road back home to Father, I’ll not stop along the way; 

I was born for higher purpose. I’ll not waste another day.

Won’t be camping on the border just inside of what I’ve known;

It is all the way or nothing, all the way back home!

 

Words by Bill and Gloria Gaither

© 1979 by William J. Gaither (ASCAP)

Springtime

Springtime, when everything seems to come alive

It never died, just went dormant for a season

Then suddenly, life springs from death

Giving hope, when there seems to be no reason

 

With warming sun and abundant rain

The cycle begins anew

Budding trees and flowering plants

All blessed with morning dew

 

Take note, my friend, for your own life

Tho lifeless it may seem

Can quickly go from doldrums drab

To see your wildest dream

 

Like the seeds waiting patiently

Buried in soil and dormant

Burst forth to become a beautiful sight

At exactly the right moment

 

Time is still in front of you

If you only have eyes to see it

Don’t let the weariness of life

Cause to give in and quit

 

As long as the breath is in you

As long as you rise at morn

You have a chance to have the dream

Just waiting to be reborn 

Day's End

 

Day is ended, nothing really left but memories.

I pause and wonder if there was anything left unsaid, undone;

Any harm caused to others; any love left unshared.

Is anyone different because I was alive?

Am I different because of the lives I encountered?

To get lost in these thoughts can lead to passive living.

Too much evaluation and not enough celebration.

 

Touch those you can; avoid those who intend malice.

Speak a soft word of greeting, thanks, forgiveness.

In doing so you bring light into darkness.

Peace into turmoil, hope into despair.

The love of God into your world.

Never

 

Never is a very misunderstood word.

When you speak it, you mean it with everything that is in you.

Life has many choices; some intentional, some unintentional.

The outcome can be expected, or unexpected.

 

Sometimes never gives place to maybe.

It is not a planned event, but circumstances bring new perspectives.

Experiences temper resolve when unforeseen possibilities emerge.

A new decision is then required.

 

Remaining with the proclamation of never seems noble.

But what if your premise was flawed from the start?

Never, based on not knowing all the facts, can seem certain.

But certainty is only valid with all of the information.

 

Walking away from never can mean defeat.

Or reconsidering never might open up even greater opportunities.

Those which only come after never has run its course.

Now rooms for new commitment have been opened.

 

Never rarely only involves the one who uttered it.

Others can get swept into the current of the promise.

They have choices of their own which brought them into play.

But a rescinded never can hurt nonetheless.

 

Never always has an end, even though none is implied.

When you see something beyond never, hope arises.

The self-imposed sentence of never can be revoked.

You can be released to a life only imagined.

 

There is a place in every life for never.

Without certainties, life can be chaos.

But never cannot override your will to find peace; love; happiness.

For it must always bow to what is right.

Alone - a Poem

Being alone is hard, especially in a crowded room.

You wonder why no one notices, then

You see it in their eyes as well.

They simply have a better mask.

Why must we all pretend to be happy, to be well.

Our culture has pressured us into a mold

Created by the minds of a few

To build a better society.

It’s easy to see why some retreat through drugs,

Destructive behavior, and even death.

Without a beacon of hope in their midst

They become shipwrecked without a future.

If you have a reason for waking in the morning

Share it with those you encounter.

You could be a glimmer, a brief glimpse

Of a future worth living.