As the Varied Way of Life We Journey

Heather Allington

Heather writes for Sunday Song Book on behalf of the The Salvation Army Oshawa. As a lifelong member of the Army, she has loved these familiar - and some less familiar - songs for many years, and enjoys researching and writing about their origins. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired elementary school teacher who likes trying her hand at watercolour painting and poetry writing.

As the varied way of life we journey,
Come the plains and then the mountainside,
Come the days of joy when birds are singing,
And the world is fair and sweet and wide;
Then a deeper joy comes, overfilling,
From the everlasting throne of love,
And all other joy is but an echo
From the ever-blessèd heights above.

There are shadows on the earthly pathway
Where, at times uncertainly, we tread;
In perplexity we halt and linger
Till our faith again is upward led.
For the heights of truth are ever calling,
And celestial radiance from afar
On our pilgrim way is gently falling
For our comfort where the shadows are.

In the days of peace and golden sunshine,
In the days of joy, or days of woe,
There is confidence in Him who holds us;
There is light to guide us here below.
And beyond await the heights of rapture,
Where all earthly joys, transcended, fade
In the glory of the Saviour’s presence,
In the Home eternal He has made.

Life itself is often compared to a journey, this song describes this well Click To Tweet

Summer is a time when many people go on journeys for pleasure and relaxation. Life itself is often compared to a journey, and the above song describes this well. The author, Lily Sampson, was an Australian Salvationist, born in Perth in 1906. She became a Salvation Army officer, and served in varying appointments: as a corps officer, in a children’s home, at territorial headquarters and as a divisional young people’s secretary. She also worked on the staff of the training college for two sessions. In 1946 Lily was appointed to India, where she was Territorial Young People’s Secretary, first in Madras and then in Telegu. She then travelled to England and spent about three years in the Editorial Department at International Headquarters, using her considerable ability as a wordsmith. Then it was back to India and appointments in both the Western and Southern Territories. She returned to the Australia Eastern Territory in 1956 and for several years served in police court and prison work in New South Wales, and finally as State Social Secretary in Queensland. Lily retired as a Lt.-Colonel in 1966, choosing still to contribute her talents for the Lord as Home League pianist at Burwood Corps, New South Wales, as well as being involved in League of Mercy activities. Certainly Lily Sampson had done her share of journeying throughout her life! In those varied circumstances, she must have known much of life’s mountains and valleys, sunshine and shadow. Clearly her strong faith in God enabled her to carry on her life’s work, until she was Promoted to Glory in 2000.