Enjoying the Journey

I have always enjoyed travel.  As a little boy I had the opportunity to visit a number of wonderful places with my dad and mom.  Now, it is a thrill to take my own children on adventures to new places.  One thing has changed about travel for me.  Like most young people I was always anxious to “get there.”  The anticipation of what we would do once we arrived at our destination was the main thing.  As I get older I am learning that much of the fun of the trip is the journey itself.  And so it is with life.

Dr. Curtis Hutson said many years ago, “I know I am going to enjoy the destination, but I want to enjoy the journey.”  Heaven will be wonderful.  Yet our loving Father desires that even the journey through this world be made with joy.  Along the journey there will be delays, detours, and disappointments.  But along the journey there will be delights and divine appointments.  I don’t want to miss them.

This journey is not a sprint; it is a marathon.  It is not measured in miles; it is measured in days.  And it is not so much about ending at a different place as it is coming to a Person.  My pastor taught me when I first arrived at Crown College that “God does not bring you to a place.  He brings you to Himself” (Exodus 19:4).

Never forget that the most wonderful part of any trip is companionship.  The journey is always better with those you love.  We are not making this journey alone.  He is with us and at every stage of the journey He is teaching us more about Himself.

The Lord’s message to Elijah is true of us, “The journey is too great for thee” (1 Kings 19:7).  But God is great enough for the journey.  Enjoy Him and you will enjoy the journey.