First Baptist Church of Herndon

What Lies Ahead

Linda Soller | Nov 07, 2022

Early last Saturday as I drove north on the Fairfax County Parkway, I was mesmerized by the rolling purple, gray mountains on the horizon. However, there are no mountains to be viewed from that particular point of the road and indeed I was staring at a bank of clouds. What I saw ahead of me, and the reality were two very different things. I do have an active imagination, and on that early drive I found it soothing to think of the mountains. There you have it. I saw what I wanted to see. 

As children we dream of what lies ahead. As we grow up our dreams are more often than not modified. Sometimes what we decide we want just changes, but sometimes the reality of our lives kicks in and we adjust to survive or make the best of what we have before us. These changes are not always bad. But they can make us a little sad for dreams not realized.  When we are young all things seem possible with little regard for skill, talent, education, income, or responsibility.  With age we recognize it’s not that simple. Wishing does not make it so. What lies ahead is special and unique to each person and with that comes the realization that we can make the most of what we have and where we are in life, even if it’s very different from what we dreamed of.

I really only saw mountains for a brief time before I thought to myself how remarkably like mountains those clouds look. The reality set in quickly. I was able to admire their form and color. I was glad they were not hovering over my head. All in all, it was okay they were clouds. I turned off the highway into town. It was quiet with very little traffic. I enjoyed the short trip to my destination and the lovely old homes I passed. I thought, what lies ahead is a long day with people I don’t really know doing something that may not be successful. Upon my arrival reality set in, and as fortune would have it, I was wrong. Could it be that what lies ahead is even better than we dreamed?

Be the love in the world  :o)