LAST January, I took my wife to the airport to begin a trip overseas. As always, I waited until the plane took off; and I stayed looking toward the sky, thinking of my wife inside the airplane. When I could not see the plane any more, I returned home to do the many tasks she had left for me to accomplish.
The Bible tells us that when Jesus was taken into heaven, his disciples gazed upward until two strangers broke the spell by asking, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?" As Christians, we find comfort in looking to the risen Christ for reassurance and for the energy to renew our spiritual lives.
However, when we turn to everyday challenges, to big tasks that demand much of us, we look at the world of human beings. We see poverty, illnesses, hunger, misery, conflict, and natural disasters. These challenge us to make commitments and to develop ways of acting that address both spiritual and physical needs. When Christ returns, we will account for how we have handled these tasks.