Monthly Archives: January 2015

Accepting the Journey

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imageTim and I returned from a week-end getaway to Shaker Village in Kentucky earlier today. We enjoy these brief but cherished respites from the daily routine. However, it’s often that I hear Tim say, no matter where we go that he enjoys the destination but hates the journey to and from.  Just as often, I will say in response that the journey is just as important as the destination. I firmly believe this on many levels.

The scenery, no matter where you are travelling, is interesting in and of itself. Beauty is all around us, even from a car window speeding down the highway. Though I generally deplore the hassle of flying from a large airport, I am still thrilled every time the jet lifts up above the clouds into the sunshine above.  There is just something about this that always makes me anticipate it.  It’s like being a child seeing the world from this perspective for the first time.  It never grows old for me. 

Whatever mode of transportation, we are a captive audience with those travelling along with us.  This can be misery or it can be opportunity.  We are able to take the time for a conversation that the busyness of everyday life doesn’t allow.  Remember as children the endless games we played in the car while on long trips or the many songs we sang?  These activities bound us together as family.  We either drove our parents crazy or they joined in with the fun.  It was all a part of the trip.

If all we can think of is, “Are we there yet?” we will have missed out on a crucial insight.  In this earthy life, the destination is generally a small segment. The journey takes the most time and we overlook its benefits if we aren’t careful.  It may seem boring or difficult but, on a deeper level, the journey is what makes us who we are. If it takes time to reach our goals, then we learn patience and perseverance.  If our path is rocky and treacherous, we become strong and resourceful.   If we experience failure along the way, we become humble but also learn what it is to never quit. Knowledge and wisdom are gained in the journey, not the destination.  Reaching a pinnacle is not nearly as sweet if the ascent is a short and easy hike.  It’s only in the struggle, that we appreciate the prize at the end of the race.

The apostle Paul often uses the analogy of a runner in a race to depict a life of faith. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  If heaven is our dreamed of destination, then life is our journey.  Yes, we learn in the struggle but we also experience joy as we move through the beauty of life.  We see glimpses of heaven along the way to urge us on. Each spectacular sunset, every melodious bird song in spring, every smile and tender embrace we experience, motivates us toward the prize before us. These are pieces of heaven.

Be that as it may, the journey is a mixture of good and bad, blessings and struggles. Accepting it all for what it is, may be the entire point. Live life fully without reservation. Run the race with gusto with your eye on the prize. But never forget to enjoy the view along the way. 

 

 

Tuning Out the Noise

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image2015!!  It strikes me as odd to be so far into the 21st century already. It seems like just yesterday we hit 2000 and everyone was afraid that our computers wouldn’t run.  Remember Y2K?  Silliness! I thought it was silly at the time but supposedly we had numerous experts that were concerned.  Fear is so media driven.  News can be spread too quickly and false information is believed without checking it out.  I’m constantly surprised how many people are duped into believing everything they read and hear in the news.  Maybe I’m just a skeptic.  I am sure that I have been fooled many times over the years too.  However, I tend not to send on any questionable news items especially if they are inflammatory towards one political party or another.  The problem is that I still read them myself and I wonder how much they affect my thinking even when I know they are false.  When you hear something bogus over and over, repetition moves your mind away from the truth. It’s so important to step back from the craziness of our media world whether it be our news media or social media.  We must listen to voices of truth to keep our minds clear and open. Study the Bible, read classical literature, pay attention to older, wiser people in our lives, pray and listen for God’s direction.  There is so much noise in our world that we can’t make out the voices that should be holding our attention. They are all but drowned out.

In this new year, I want to intentionally listen:  listen to words of wisdom from seasoned voices, listen to God’s word, listen to the sounds of nature, listen to  beautiful music.  I want to just take the time to listen.  But to really do this I must turn off the noise.  I can’t be totally out of the world’s noise but I can limit it.  I will deliberately put down my smart phone for a good face to face conversation.  I will turn off the computer for a good book.  I will read the Bible one chapter a day beginning at the beginning with Genesis.  I purchased the Moody Bible Commentary over Christmas to help me study.  But most of all, I will focus my attention on things above and listen for God’s direction.  He speaks often in a still, small voice that can be difficult to hear through the noise of daily life.  I must tune my ear to Him like tuning a radio to a certain channel.  Static can certainly muffle the sound.  But I know that if I begin to tune out the silly, unimportant things of this world and listen intently, I will hear God speaking.  I have heard Him before and I have faith that He will speak again.  He’s probably trying to speak to me right now but I’m not hearing Him.  I’m like the boy Samuel in the Bible. God spoke to him 3 times before He recognized His voice. Only after the priest Eli told him to answer God by saying, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” did God reveal to Samuel a great prophecy.

So I pray: In this new year, open my ears, Lord so I am able to hear you over the rabble.  Let me not just listen but act.  Direct my paths so I may walk with you. Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.