I want to take you back to one of the great days in Christian history—the day that Jesus, according to Scripture, rose from the tomb. Imagine His excited disciples; those who had been His followers for so many years, who had fallen in love with Him, who wanted to be close to Him, who had dreamt that He would become king. Then, all of a sudden, He is crucified on a Friday, and is lying dead in a tomb. They know, come Sunday morning, that they are going to need to go back to that tomb, open the huge stone that covers it, and embalm Him because there wasn't time to do that on Friday. They are discouraged. More than discouraged, they are depressed because all they can see is the tragedy around their feet.

I thought about that when I was on a boat trip out to the beautiful Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Since I can get sea sick in the bathtub, I asked the fellow in charge, "How can I make sure that I don't get sea sick today? What's the way a sailor would handle this?" He answered, "Oh, Duerksen, it's really easy. Never look at your feet. Always focus on the horizon."

So all the way out to Little Sandy Cay, way out on the Great Barrier Reef, I looked at the horizon. You know, I never thought about being sea sick. I never thought about the trials at hand. I thought about the adventures "just over there a little way."

I think that's what the disciples learned during the weekend when Christ was in the grave. That weekend means so much to Christians all around the world because it was a weekend of discouragement before the explosion of hope.

There's a wonderful Old Testament Bible verse in Jeremiah 29, verse 11. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good things, not bad. Plans to bring you a future filled with hope."

The disciples back in Jerusalem learned that the future is filled with hope, for on Sunday morning when they went to the tomb, they discovered that the tomb was empty. And, of course, the entire Christian faith is based upon the reality of that empty tomb. On Sunday morning nobody was there.

The risen Christ. That story brings us a future filled with hope because one of Jesus' promises is, "I'm coming back because I don't want you to be alone, discouraged, depressed or sad. I don't want you to be living in the discouragements and frustrations of the moment. I want you to be looking off into the future. I'm coming back. I'm coming to take you home. But, in the meantime, keep your eyes on the horizon because the more you look 'way off there,' the more exciting you're going to find what is happening around you right now."

When I arrived at the Great Barrier Reef I reveled in the excitement of reef life. I discovered multicolored giant clams, watched ugly moray eels, played with inquisitive fish and enjoyed everything else you can imagine on a reef. It was a wonderful day!

There is great adventure in being where God wants you to be. Wherever you are, radiology, emergency department, patient accounts, wherever you have been called to work, you can get discouraged if you look down—because much of what happens every single day is simply overwhelming.

But, let me encourage you to consider the alternative to the discouragement. Don't look down. Focus on the horizon. Focus on the good promises God is offering you today. Remember the words of Jeremiah 29:11, "For I have plans for you, says the Lord, plans for good things, not bad. Plans to bring you a future filled with hope."

—Dick Duerksen