Embracing the Journey

You know that saying “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel”? It’s supposed to be a message of hope and inspiration that tells us if we keep going and keep pushing, one day we will work our way out of this dark, black hole we are in and finally be able to move on to bigger and better things. A lot of times also you will hear Christians say phrases like “I can’t wait to find out the next big thing God has planned for me”. We should be totally excited about the next phase in our lives because yes, God does have amazing things in store for all of us. But what if the journey was more important than the destination? What if we get so focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, we miss all of the things that fill the inside of it?

Looking at things from a Biblical perspective, the Israelites were terrible with this concept. Right now, I am reading through Deuteronomy and in the beginning Moses kind of gives a recap of all that has happened with the Israelites since they were slaves in Egypt. He reminds them of how miraculous (and honestly quite terrifying) their rescue from Egypt was. Now, Israel knew they were on their way to bigger and better things. I mean, they were slaves. It couldn’t get any worse than that. But it wasn’t long before the desert sun did a number on their brains because they actually started wishing they could go back to Egypt. Like that was better than their present circumstance. Basically they were saying “I mean like slavery wasn’t great. We got beat a lot and the work was really hard. But it was better than all of this sand.” It’s a good thing that I am not God because I would have just sent them back! They had literally lost so much patience for the journey to the promised land that they missed slavery! I know we have all exaggerated and said things we don’t really mean, but that’s insane. And because of their unwillingness to look at their current journey as a gift from God and trust His guidance, it took a really, really long time for them to get to their destination.

When they were finally going to be able to enter the land God had promised them, God started giving Moses all of these rules for how and when they were supposed to bring sacrifices to Him and even for what occasion they were to celebrate. God told them to have a special festival (aka the Passover) to celebrate when God brought them out of Egypt and to thank Him for what He did for them during their journey. After all, He did send food from the sky on a regular basis and had water come out of rocks. He had their journey under control. He wasn’t just letting them wonder aimlessly, hoping they would find the next big thing He had for them. He was there with them the whole time and was doing amazing things during that time! They just needed to be willing and able to stop and smell the cactus roses along the way.

I’m currently seeing this in my own life. (For those that don’t know) it is my dream and ultimate goal to become a pediatric physical therapist. And from right now, I have about 5 years before that becomes a reality. When I think about how far away that next step is, it kind of makes me want to throw up. That’s over 1,800 days of homework and tests and studying I still have left to do. I would love to just magically have my degree and start helping all of the little angels of the world like tomorrow. But that’s not how God works. He’s not some genie that will give me a diploma if I wish for it. God has my journey already mapped out. He knows where I am going to go and who I am going to meet along the way. He knows the challenges and obstacles I am going to face. And He also knows the small victories I am going to have along the way (like hopefully dominating physics this semester!) But my focus right now needs to be on the journey.

So where are you? Maybe you have just reached the light at the end. You’ve started an exciting new chapter of your life. That’s something worth celebrating! Go back and think about all of the ways God grew you during that time of waiting and searching. That’s what makes your journey unique. That’s what makes your journey yours. Or maybe you are in the middle of two major phases in your life. Yeah, it can be really frustrating to be in this limbo phase while you are trying to figure out your next step. But enjoy it! Look for the little miracles God is doing along the way. Notice the design inside the tunnel. You’ll appreciate the other side so much more if you don’t try sprinting through it.