Lauren and I had been dating for a few months when I cooked supper for her the first time. (I’m rather certain that my skill in the kitchen was what sealed the deal for us.) The meal was not that complicated in my mind: homemade basil pesto tossed with linguini and grilled chicken, a Caesar salad from scratch, and my secret recipe for brownies—a meal that would touch on all of the tastes and flavors Lauren liked. I always love to celebrate with a good meal, especially any meal I get to prepare myself, ensuring that all of those little extras go into it, like toasting the pine nuts before adding them to the pesto.
The day will come when God will prepare a feast of celebration for us that will make every single one of the celebratory meals I have ever served pale in comparison. I do not know what the menu for that day will look like, but I believe it will not be nearly as important as the celebration itself. For at this feast, God “will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.” At this celebration, God will bring to full fruition all of the good that has been promised to us for all time. No more will we face the shroud of death because the Lord will destroy it on that day. No more will tears spill from our eyes for God will wipe them all away.
I need this reminder every once in a while. I need to remember that no matter what lies before me today, God is working toward something much greater. This realization, whether in joy or in sorrow, reminds me of the promise of everything that the Lord is doing and will do. Though I may be impatient, I trust that everything will occur in God’s timing for I know the promise that “the Lord has spoken.”