Think back to a time when you were on a road trip.
Did your family get on the road and head toward a destination only making minimal, if any, stops? Was the primary goal to arrive at a particular time as scheduled? Kids are hungry? Too bad. Need to stop to use the toilet? You’ll have to wait. Or did your family take a different approach to road trips? You didn’t just stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but also for ice cream and snacks between. You didn’t only make a stop to use the toilet but also checked out every interesting site along the way.
We live in a goal-driven society. We have been raised in a culture that encourages us to define our value by our successes and accomplishments and achieving goals. If you think about it, the majority of life is spent on the journey—not reaching the end. That’s where the memories are made and the lessons are learned. The winding roads of life are where God’s process of refining us and drawing us near to Him occur.
Detours in the Bible
The Bible gives more references and instructions about the journey in life—what we do along the way—than the actual destination of Heaven itself. Once our salvation is secured in Jesus, God wants us to focus on how we live our lives. Are you living to get married, have children, buy a bigger house, earn a promotion, or be retired? There is nothing wrong with pursuing our dreams and setting goals, but we need to pay attention to what God wants us to accomplish on the journey and not be consumed with where we are headed.
The Bible is filled with meaningful road trips and purposeful journeys. The Israelites took 40 years to get to the Promised Land. Paul lived a pretty horrific life before his conversion to become one of the greatest legacies of the Christian church. Philip encountered the Ethiopian eunuch as he traveled on the road to Gaza and stopped on the side of the road to baptize him. Even Jesus spent 33 years completing the plan for our salvation. Thankfully, he didn’t skip the ministry, miracles, teaching, and relationships along the way!
Detours with a Purpose
God is always at work in every step and in every detour. The Bible promises that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). That means ALL things. We may not know what God is accomplishing in our current circumstances, but He does—including gifting us special memories and meaningful moments, strengthening our relationships, giving us the opportunity to minister to others and be ministered to, and, most importantly, growing our faith and expanding our knowledge of who He is.
Where are you in a hurry to get to today? What opportunities are you overlooking right now by focusing too intently on tomorrow or your destination? In your determination to reach a goal, get to the end, or just get the job done, are you missing valuable stops, ministry opportunities, or life lessons along the way?
A pertinent point to remind us of the little things along the way on the roads less traveled.
My day has been one of ticking boxes. I thought I would just take a spare minute to read this post. A timely break indeed. Thank you, Cindy.
So glad you were encouraged by these words. May God continue to grant you moments of rest in the midst of the busy-ness!
What a great metaphor for my writing journey! I’m often focused on the end goal—finishing the book—at the expense of the joy of simply writing!
Wishing you the best on your writing journey. May God speak through you and your words!