As we begin stepping into the summer months I find myself reflecting on how much I love the rhythm of summer. In some wonderful ways, the pace is a bit slower, or so I’ve been told, but life being what it is my summer schedule is filling up fast – so I’m not quite sure how much slower this summer promises to be.
For many people, summer typically brings with it the opportunity to take a vacation, and for a good number of people this means traveling. Maybe it’s visiting family or friends in another state. Or maybe it’s going to visit a national park or a theme park. Perhaps it’s going up north to a summer cottage.
Regardless of where we go, who we go to see or what we go to do, traveling offers us new opportunities for fun and reconnection with family, friends, creation, and even our likes and our passions. Surprisingly, it can also give us a pretty good idea of what we can expect in this life as the children of God.
In biblical times traveling was a challenge and often required endurance. It certainly came with its own set of difficulties that arose along the way – where will we stop to eat? Can’t you hold it just a little bit longer…and didn’t you just go the last time we stopped? What’s that smell? Are we there yet? What’s taking so long? Any of this sound familiar?
No matter how seasoned a traveler you are, from time to time we all encounter some challenges when traveling. And although we love when everything goes smoothly, deep down we know there’s always a possibility that things might not go as planned. But despite the bumps, we make adjustments, we change our timeline, and we keep going because we’re committed to reaching our destination.
In a similar way, I think many of us are guilty of expecting that our lives will always go smoothly. However, if we think of life in this world in the way we understand travel, then we’ll be reminded that the bumps along the way are a normal part of the journey.
When my family takes a road trip or flies somewhere for vacation, we definitely enjoy seeing what’s around or below us as we pass by – like stopping at different restaurants and experiencing exciting places and things along our journey, but ultimately our hearts are not set on what we’ll pass along the way – our hearts are set on our destination and on the people we’ll see and the time we’ll get to spend with them.
I think sometimes difficult journeys can be beneficial to us because they can cause us to take a step back, gain a new perspective, and reconsider how we travel in the future, but ultimately, we will keep on traveling.
The days of traveling through life can at times be amazing and challenging at others. There are bumps in the road – delays, frustrations, cancellations and the possibility of so much more along the way. But, when we set our eyes on the wonderful destinations that lie ahead promising to offer us joy, excitement, peace, comfort, happiness, and more, we are able to maneuver through the difficulties and setbacks with determination because we know what lies ahead.
So too it is with our journey through life. We will certainly encounter wonderful days along with the difficult ones, but if we keep our eyes fixed on our ultimate destination – on what God has promised us – eternal life with God and a life more wonderful that we could ever comprehend, then we will also find renewed courage, strength, determination, and joy for whatever lies ahead.
My friends, I encourage you to keep your eyes and your hearts focused on the destination that God has promised and gifted to each of us. I pray that God blesses your summer and any travels that come with it. And wherever you go, I hope that you allow the experience of those journeys to offer you a new perspective as you continue on the journey of life. May you know the depth of God’s love, peace, and joy in all the days to come!
Pastor Tony
