“If You Could See Beyond…” a July Sunset

I apologize to my faithful readers that I’ve dropped off on my blogging lately since I’m on vacation back in the U.S. before we return to Kazakhstan in mid-August to continue teaching at a western style university in Almaty, the former capital. Great to be back with family and friends again in Minnesota after we went to Houston, TX area for a wedding and then to Phoenix, AZ area to visit with Ken’s children and my relatives.  I took this photo last night as I watched the sun set on a peaceful July evening.

The following is a poem from Streams in the Desert which applies to our anticipated return to Central Asia.  As is often quoted by older people, “getting older ain’t for sissies” the same is true about Kazakhstan.  The following poem is appropriate and gives me a more God-like perspective about the hardships we will no doubt face:

If we could see beyond today
As God can see;
If all the clouds should roll away,
The shadows flee;
O’er present griefs we would not fret.
Each sorrow we would soon forget,
For many joys are waiting yet
For you and me.

If we could know beyond today
As God doth know,
Why dearest treasures pass away
And tears must flow;
And why the darkness leads to light,
Why dreary paths will soon grow bright;
Some day life’s wrongs will be made right,
Faith tells us so.

If we could see, if we could know,
We often say,
But God in love a veil doth throw
Across our way;
We cannot see what lies before,
And so we cling to Him the more,
He leads us till this life is o’er;
Trust and obey.