Some poems find their way into your soul and live there. The following poem came to me years ago, and it still speaks with gentle clarity.
The Quest
Wherever it takes you—go;
Whichever the task—do it;
Whatever the burden—accept it;
Whenever it calls—answer it;
Whichever the lesson—learn it;
However dark the path—follow Him;
Because wherever He takes you,
It is worth it.
That last line gets me every time. It doesn’t matter how the blanks are filled in, they all end there in that line: it’s worth it, if God takes me there. When I get fainthearted, that’s what I question, isn’t it? Is it really worth it to endure that?
I’m pretty sure that the apostle Paul would agree with Bob Benson (the author of the poem) that we all need help with our perspective. During a dark period, Paul confided to the Corinthians: “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.” And then the perspective reset. “But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 NLT).
Perspective is everything. That’s why I keep this poem handy. It reminds me that joining God in life is worth it. Every time.
ACTION: Where is God calling you today? Do you sense that you’re able to hear His voice? How would He want you to rely on Him today? In what ways might God be bringing life out of death in your soul?
