Imagine being on a road trip with a couple kids in the backseat. You’re headed to… (insert a destination of your choosing). The kids ask “Are we there yet?” You smile empathetically because you know how the kids feel. To them, the drive seems never-ending. They’re bored or frustrated and they wonder if they’ll ever make it to… (insert destination again). You of course look forward to arriving, but you can also appreciate the ride. You enjoy the scenery, an audio book or music, and the company of your loved ones.
Most of us can relate to the kids in the backseat. We often want to skip the journey, and simply arrive at the destination. We want the hard conversation to be over, but to arrive at genuine intimacy. We want the medical treatments to be complete, and for our sick friend to be well. We don’t really want to talk about our sin, but we do want to be forgiven. We don’t want to hear about another person dying from the virus, but we do want God to use this pandemic for His glory.
The journey is important. As we journey with Him, we learn to persevere, to pray, to seek His will. He softens our hearts and refines us. We’re each on a different journey, each one planned by Him and for His glory. Some of us, all things considered, have it pretty easy. Others are truly suffering. My prayer today is that, no matter our circumstances, we’d look to the Lord. Let’s praise and thank Him for His many gifts, admit our need and sin, surrender to His will, and ask Him to work mightily in our hearts and lives. Let’s journey with the Lord.
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” -Psalm 105:4