Are We There Yet?

Are we there yet? How much longer until we get there?

If you’ve ever taken a road trip with kids (or even when you were a kid) - then you’ve heard (said) these questions before. A much anticipated trip seems to take forever to get to our destination. The necessary pit stops we take drag the journey out longer and wear our patience thin. Long trips are exhausting, aggravating and too often dreaded. We don’t typically enjoy the journey or appreciate all that surrounds us on the trip. We want to just get there already so the ‘fun’ can begin. And when we finally do get there- we’re too tired to care.

It’s pretty much the same way in our travels with Jesus. We don’t want to take rest stops to stretch our legs, or refuel ourselves (even if that means we get a cup of coffee to stay alert). We don’t even want to keep trudging along… we want to just get there. We don’t recognize the beauty that surrounds us on our trip. And we certainly don’t appreciate any delay or difficulty that may arise on the way.

Think about it—how often do you just wish you’d had it all figured out so you could be the Christian God wants you to be? You’re tired of faltering, tired of the road blocks, tired of almost but not quite? Do we ever stop to think that maybe the journey is what it’s all about? We’re strongest in Christ when we’re weakest in ourselves.

I get so frustrated with myself when I keep messing up. How many times will it take until I get this Christian-thing right? How many times do I have to repeat a bible verse to tame my tongue? How many verses do I have to hang around the house for them to sink in? How long do I have to read in the mornings before I am able to be around people? “How much longer until I get there?” It never seems to end. After repeating my ‘mouth’ verse (which, by the way is Ephesians 4:29), and a cuss word flies, I sink. After spending over an hour in His Word and feeling pretty good about myself, I snap at the first person who irritates to me, I cower.  But shouldn’t we be enjoying these moments? Not the cussing or the impatience— but the fact that we acknowledge our errors? There was a time I could cuss someone out and tell them how irritated they made me without any remorse. Gone are those days (for the most part anyway).

And that’s part of the journey. (Jeremiah 29:11)How boring would life be if, when we accepted Christ as our Savior, things were perfect from then on? What would we learn? How would we grow? How could we teach others if we have nothing to compare it to? How would we trust God and have faith everything would be okay if, it all was already okay? God wants a relationship with us. And to have that relationship, He has to be the One we want. If He made our lives perfect, would we continue to feel like we need Him? Would we ever take the time for a pit stop, stretch our legs and refuel? (Matthew 11:28)

We will have an eternity to spend with Him in His Kingdom. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, John 3:16, 1 John 5:13) But until we get there, enjoy the ride!