Are We Almost There Yet?

April 12, 2025 — Laura House

Inevitably, you’ve heard these words from your children while traveling, “Are we almost there yet?” When they are young, that question might be asked every few minutes!

In the days before cell phones and iPads, we took a lot of road trips with our three kids. Trying to be creative while planning activities for the car, I’d bring coloring books, card games, audiobooks, drawing supplies, and lots of snacks. But after all my resources were used up and a dozen games of “Alphabet” had been played, boredom set in and the inevitable questioning would begin. “Are we almost there yet?”

I remember one trip particularly well because some friends had advised us to travel at night. Apparently, they had experienced the “trip of a lifetime” by driving with sleeping children. So, we put everyone in pajamas, loaded them into the car and headed out.  After enjoying a snack, we listened to a book on tape, then had our goodnight prayer and told everyone it was time to go to sleep. “Grandma and Grandpa’s house is only 10 hours away and we’ll almost be there when you wake up!” How great was that?! It was dark. The motion of the car would lull them to sleep and Gary and I would converse in a peaceful bliss that hadn’t happened in a long, long time. 

Another hour went by. Everyone was still quite perky but we had hope that the excitement of the trip would wane and sleep would come. I’m sure you’ve guessed the end of the story by now. It was a long, grueling night of bathroom stops, hilarity, and the same “are we there yet” question asked a zillion times. Literally, as we pulled into our destination, they all fell asleep. I’m not sure now which friends encouraged that plan, but I’m pretty sure we never took parental advice from them again.

During the first two years after Nathan was gone, my thoughts were, “Are we almost there yet? Are we almost done yet?” To me, it seemed like we had been living this earthly life FOREVER. My soul was weary and my mind and body weak. But one day it occurred to me that maybe to God, creation wasn’t really so long ago and for some reason, unbeknownst to me, He is not ready to return yet. He alone knows the timing of His plans. 

Now, it’s entirely possible that my time to leave here or yours might be soon. And it’s also possible that the time for Christ’s return could be near. Only He knows. But until one of those things takes place, the Bible is clear about our purpose here and how we should live to prepare for our life of eternity. 

If you are new in your grief, then each exhausting day is a challenge, and the prospect of living on earth for years may be daunting. But as I’ve expressed time and time again, and as someone wisely told me at the start, you will not always experience the level of pain that you are feeling now. You are still mourning. And while you mourn, the Lord is holding you as you walk this painful journey. In the midst of all of it, even though you might not recognize it, you are changing, growing, and becoming stronger. Suffering can mold and shape us in ways that could not happen otherwise. As we lament, we begin to develop a deeper intimacy with God and we discover the depth of His love for us.

I no longer ask, “Are we almost there yet?” And I challenge you to do the same. 

Let’s continue becoming who we should be for our future life of eternity — trusting the One who loves us the most. We can live with joy and purpose as we eagerly await eternity with Jesus and those we love who have gone ahead of us. 

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith…” — Hebrews 12: 1-2a