Our Challenging Journey

Its a hot July evening at 5:00 and my Dad has just gotten home from a long week of work and we are ready to go. Yes the trip is about to begin he has worked all day in the heat and now we are all ready to make a trip to see relatives in the far away place called Oregon. As we scramble to load bags of clothes and pillows and blankets into the car we are full of giggles and excitement but I am sure Dad must be tired.

Soon the Pontiac is loaded and while the sun shines mom reads to us one of many books she will read over the years. As darkness settles into the car so does the realization that there are a lot of people crammed into this vehicle. The night is sultry and in the distance a storm is brewing. As lightening flashes we move through the night headed to our destination and not knowing what lies ahead of us.

Every journey was different. Some went smoothly and others may have a flat tire, road side repair or someone always needing a rest stop. There were hungry kids to feed, diapers to change and naps to be taken. But we made it from one point to the next without major incident because God was our captain.

I spoke about this the other day with Noah but think about all the journeys we take in our life. Often we pray at the start for safety, pray for protection in times of trouble but most often we forget to thank God for his protection after we arrive safe. Each journey starts differently and ends differently. Some can be just a day journey while others can last a whole life time time in the end we look back and can say "Thank God I made it."

One of the great metaphors of the Bible is “the journey.” The Bible is filled with journey upon journey. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture is full of people on the move.  Moses moves for many years on a journey, until his people make it to the Promised Land. Many generations later, Abraham’s descendants journey from slavery and oppression in Egypt into the land of Israel. David travels to defeat Goliath.

Joseph and Mary journey to Bethlehem for what will become a journey that we will all remember. The wise men will journey to meet the new savior and then they will journey in the middle of the night to avoid the King so they can protect the baby Jesus. Then Joseph and Mary will take their child in the cover of darkness to Egypt and then to Israel and then to Nazareth. The journey for Jesus will never really end for his love for us carries him from village to village sharing Gods love.

It is interesting to me that all these years later My Journey touches their journeys and yours and the journey of others and eventually we are walking step by step  with each other.  It is fascinating really how we talk of journeys that took place and journeys yet to come.

Jesus's journey was more then just a walk about, it was a journey of love and understanding. It is a journey of a child sent from his father to live in the flesh only to be crucified and carry our sins away and save our souls so that you and I can enjoy eternity.

Like many of our journeys it had its bad days and good days. Think of this, My Journey has had some very rocky roads as has many of yours. But we have had some great adventures. Along the way we get battered and bruised and in the end we may look different. I wasn't born with grey hair, bad hearing, a bad back and Parkinson's. Sometimes I look like a prize fighter but often I look like I have been drug through the rubble of a rock quarry. We all do.

Think of Christs last journey. There he is hanging on a cross. He is bloodied from the beating he has taken. His body is a mess and the pain must be beyond our comprehension. But God looks down and he does not see the body covered in blood and broken but instead he can see the soul of a man and that soul, that heart is beautiful.

So today you may feel broken. You make look in the mirror and think "man I need to lose a few pounds" or you may be bent over with a bad back. Your body may be weak from fighting a disease or you may just be tired and worn out. God doesn't look at all of that. He is not judging any of that and we should not either.

When God looks down he wants to see a loving well exercised heart. He wants to see a glowing soul that even when you have made mistakes and faltered you started your journey over and tried again and you have forgiven others. You have loved those who are the hardest to love.

You see all the journeys and flat tires and souvenirs we collect along the way mean nothing if we forget to collect memories of love, kindness and forgiveness. They mean nothing if we forget to travel with God instead trying to do it our own way. OUR WAY DOES NOT WORK!

So tomorrow you will start a new journey and you should invite God along for the ride. This time however ask him to drive. This time ask him to pick the radio station. This time remember to thank him for the blessings from the start to the end. Remember bad things will still happen but with God the lesson will be of value and your soul in the end will be happier that he carried your load.

We all to travel through this life but remember so did Jesus and he made it. We have the same power in us that he had in him. I have that same power in me and each day I will carry it with me as I make "My Journey."

God Loves you and So do I!