"I'm hungry! I'm thirsty! Mom, he made a face at me!" How many of you have gone through the frustration of beginning a family vacation only to get the car packed, the house secured, and the family finally all buckled in the car for the long drive ahead -- and then you hear those words for the first of a 1,000 times: "How long till we get there?" We could all write hilarious sit-coms of memories from our family trips! If we were honest, most of the memorable moments were the unexpected, spontaneous adventures along the way. Isn't that really how it is in our adult journey through life as well?
One of my favorite devotional books, My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers, has a constant theme that life is a journey and our growth is a process. He emphasizes that God is not looking for a "perfect finished product" to use as a showcase display, but measures our progress by our heart's devotion to Him -- not the good works we do. Of course, the more we grow in our relationship with Him, the more we will want to do for Him and for others. The difference is that we were once struggling and striving and trying to achieve. We seemed to always complain that we were hungry or thirsty or someone else was keeping us from achieving. Just like the Israelites wandering in the desert to the Promised Land, we were always asking, "Lord, when are we going to get there?" As with a child in the car, we can whine and question and complain, or we can enjoy the beauty of the scenery and the fellowship along the way! What He really wants is for us to enjoy the journey by loving and trusting Him. We can only do that when we live in minute-by-minute childlike expectation. Because we love Him, we want to live in obedience to His Word and have the security of a balanced life -- in our work, our relationships and our journey along life's way!
When we had the blessing of taking my parents to Greece for their 55th wedding anniversary, we also took a cruise to a few other islands and ventured to Turkey. As we toured the ruins of Ephesus, we were reminded of how Paul wrote to the new church there as well as others of his day, such as Rome and Corinth and Galatia. He was so frustrated with their lack of growth and their constant complaining. He knew that they were still seeking the pleasures of this world, as we saw evidence of even today. Embedded in the old walkways are the 2,000-year-old chiseled footprints leading from the harbors to the nearest brothels and houses of ill repute; footprints that the sailors could easily follow. But Paul never became discouraged when he saw the vilest of sinners because he also knew they were capable of change.
He knew they could become overcomers as he had done. He even told them he was the "chiefest of sinners," that he had even been a Christian slayer at one time; a murderer! This same man became the greatest example of a truly changed life because of his own journey.
He had personally encountered Jesus Christ on his road to Damascus, where he was blinded and incapacitated and confronted with one simple question: "Why do you persecute me"? He was never the same after that, once all of the foolishness and sin of his past were made perfectly clear to him. He saw what he was, but Christ showed him what he could become. He eventually wrote, "I have learned, whatever state I am in, to be content." He went on to write most of the New Testament and modeled the most encouraging love relationship we can have. Isn't that what we are all really searching for in life -- to be content, to be happy, to have peace and joy? Paul had found the key, as I finally did, and I pray that you have as well!
As my family toured where Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived out her final days, we were reminded of one of the last requests given to the apostle John. He fulfilled his final assignment as Jesus requested from the cross, "Behold thy mother." Even in his own agony, as He fulfilled the very reason for which He came to this earth - to redeem mankind - Jesus showed us the infinite importance of our human relationships. This was also the culmination of joy in my own life, to see my own parents so blessed and filled with peace and joy and love, after all I had put them through in years past as a rebellious teenager. God has not only restored all those "locust years," but He has given us the closest, most loving family relationship we could have ever dreamed! I don't believe it was in spite of all we went through, but because of all we went through!
If you look back over what seems to be the worst times of your life, they are the very things God has used to not only "grow you," but He will use you in that very area to help others going through similar circumstances. If you are in the MIDDLE of some of those worst circumstances right now, this is the secret of truly enjoying the journey... to praise God and thank Him in the midst of those trials, whether you feel like it or not. When you want to chase away the enemy, when the walls are all crumbling around you, when you can't even see the tunnel -- much less any light at the end -- start the process you just learned all over again! Be encouraged by those who have paved the way -- be encouraged that if one failure can be turned around, so can you! Remember your dreams and goals and re-kindle that passion. Then do as Paul also admonishes, "Keep your eyes on the prize." Don't grieve over lost time or territory, just keep going forward however slow and bumpy the process. Don't see change and unexpected events as an enemy, but welcome them as new opportunities. Instead of asking God why this happened, ask Him what you are to do in the midst of it. Just wait and see how He will use you AND the circumstance for some greater good!
Begin to be glad when you see parts of your former life crumble. As God begins to sift out the wheat from the chaff, you will eventually be glad He removed the things you once held so tightly. The older we get and the closer to the Lord we grow, the less we ask, "How long 'til we get there?" Although we know our final destination will be the most glorious of all, we can learn as Paul did, to "be content in all situations" until our Father calls us home. In the meantime, enjoy the ride!
Dr. Debra Peppers is an author, speaker and host of a radio and television program. Her afternoon talk show, "Talk From the Heart," can be heard Monday through Friday from 3 - 5 p.m. on KJSL, AM 630. Visit Dr. Peppers' website at:
www.pepperseed.org or www.saltandlightministry.com.