"In A Little While"

Back in the day, I was an Amy Grant fan. I knew every song, album cover, lyric, and even went to one of her concerts. One of my favorite songs when I was in a rather melancholy mood was “In a Little While”. For old times’ sake, I’m gonna print a portion of the lyrics:

In a little while we'll be with the Father can't you see Him smile
In a little while we'll be home forever in a while
we're just here to learn to love Him
We'll be home in just a little while

Days like these are just a test of our will. Will we walk or will we fall?
Well, I can almost see the top of the hill. And I believe it's worth it all.
Songwriters: Chapman, Gary W;Keister, John Shane;Bannister, Elliott B.;Grant, Amy

According to Amy, bad days are a test of our will to see if we choose to walk … or fall. She concludes that walking is the better choice and that … (drum roll please) “in a little while we’ll be with the Father, home forever.”

I think she’s got something there. If I were a song writer, I could pine away about my day yesterday. I received a phone call from relatives that my Uncle Johnny, whose picture you see in this blog, has pancreatic cancer and will have surgery on Wednesday and chemo treatments after that.

My Uncle Johnny is one of the kindest, simplest, purest people I know. He lives on his grand-dad’s homestead located at the base of the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, remains happily married to the girl he fell in love with back in 1955, and falls asleep on a blowup mattress with his grand boys watching baseball games.

Whenever I call to talk to him, I schedule a good hour and half time slot. Not a whole lot gets discussed but the latest medical news, updates on family, and what he ordered at the local drugstore. However he as a gift of making the mundane an actors monologue.

Uncle Johnny still grows a garden at almost 75, still cuts and bails hay, still hits the ball with his grand boys in the yard, and still calls old people “sir” and “mam”.

Hearing of his bad health was not so much as a shock but rather a reality check. Even the most rock solid among us will leave planet earth to be with the Father. In my head I know this is good. In my spirit I know this is good. However, with this heart of raw emotion, this makes me sad … for me.

An end of an era will come to close when my Uncle Johnny leaves to see His Father. And it must. But again, the reality sets heavy and makes me quite reflective. The impact of the news sets even heavier with the distance of living so far away. I think I’m understanding what Christ says to be his disciple, you must count the cost. My heart is paying a big price for the cost of distance. And yet, taking heed of the promise my Father has established, a home in heaven for all those who believe in Him, I should perk up … realizing that “days like these are just a test of our will. Will I walk or will I fall.” And, then, walking forward and believing by faith that one day it will be worth it all.

I love my Uncle Johnny. He loves me well. Despite the feelings of sadness … one day we will be together … forever. And when that day arrives, I know we will both agree that it was just a little while … and worth the look on our Father’s face.

Go hug someone you love ... for me and my Uncle Johnny.