For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God.
Ecclesiastes 9:1
If you’ve ever had the privilege of traveling on the Garden Route in South Africa, you would know that it’s quite a beautiful route. The name alone should give you some sort of an idea.
I remember one year travelling up to an Assemblies of God conference during the winter season with our lead pastor and his wife. We had left straight after church and were all traveling up together in a microbus. It was an incredible journey, time well spent together, and a trip I look back on with great fondness.
One thing I remember vividly, was the beautiful mountain scenery during that winter season. Snow had formed on the mountain tops and as a result thereof, beautiful waterfalls had formed, running down from the top of the mountain. What an incredible sight it was to behold as we all sat nice and warm inside the bus, looking at all this in amazement.
To this very day, every time I travel the Garden Route, it’s one of the first memory that comes to mind.
Now if you’re anything like me, I’m sure that you have had a lot of questions as to what God is busy doing in your life at this stage. “Where is my life heading? When will I reach the desired destination?” It’s part of the human experience, imbedded inside each one of us. Deep down, each of us desire to know what God’s end goal / plan is for our lives and when those plans will be fulfilled.
But in our constant desire (pursuit) of what God has called us too, we tend to miss out on all the beautiful things and memories God so strategically planned to show us along the way. Constantly fixated upon the where and when, we forget to simply enjoy the beauty of the journey.
When traveling between two points, one often comes across a signboard showing exactly where you find yourself, whether or not you are still heading in the right direction and how far you still have to go before reaching the end. It is here where many of us find ourselves within our personal journeys – traveling in between two points.
It is also here where the many worries and doubts begin to form in our hearts and minds, the questions about the direction God has for our lives. When worry sets in we forget the beautiful scenery, stressing over the next sign that will give us some form of comfort. And yet, this isn’t God’s desires for us.
My friend. While it is good to ensure that we are heading in the right direction, living in the will and plan of God, let us not become so fixated on reaching the end destination that we end up missing all the beautiful things God desired to show us along the way.
I believe the Lord would remind each of us by saying this: “As important as it is to reach the right destination, enjoying the journey is still the Father’s greatest desire for us.” Trust the Lord as you do life alongside of Him and allow Him to create a bank full of wonderful memories that will last you the rest of your life. Don’t be in such a hurry to get to the end that you miss out on this aspect of the journey.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father. How good it is to know that you have a plan for my life, an end goal. All of this resides securely in Your hands. As I do life with You, help me to find my rest and peace in the journey, trusting that You will help me reach that destination, all while enjoying the journey too. I pray this in Jesus mighty name. Amen