The Journey part 1
Sometimes it seems like we look at life life a journey. From point A to point B. But one of the biggest problems with that mindset is that we can easily get stuck along the way. And then that opens up a whole can of worms. We start in with the self condemnation, and we consider ourselves (or others) failures. Just because we aren't as far along the journey as we (or others) think we should be. When we define our life according to what society says it should be, or even what we think it should be, then we miss out on so much. Jesus came to give us ABUNDANT life. Not a life of going through the motions. He came to give us ETERNAL life. And if life is eternal, then there IS no destination at the end of the trip... because there is no end of the trip! Or rather, since we are already in the Promised Land, we have already reached the destination. See, life is not a journey from A to B. You don't start HERE and try to get over THERE. Life is a journey into the heart of the matter. And the heart of the matter is the heart! I think most "religious people" will agree that God is the most important thing (even though we don't always seem to operate out of that truth). And God is love. So love is the most important thing. Look at one of my favorite passages of Scripture. This passage literally tells us how to live. How to enjoy the journey. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passesth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:14-19). Remember when I Ranted about the meaning of life? To be loved by God and to love each other with that same love? Well that's the journey. Exploring His love for us. Living in His love for us. Enjoying His love for us. And, guys, it doesn't get any more abundant than being filled with the fulness of God (that we are already full of). Being filled with His fulness means being filled to overflowing with love. Having such an experiential knowledge of the height, depth, length and breadth of His love that we couldn't hold it in if we tried so it just comes out of us natural. That's the journey. Not GETTING more of Him, but KNOWING more of Him as He reveals Himself to us and in us and through us and as us. Not getting anywhere, but exploring where we already are. Not getting from point A to point B but knowing that wherever we are, and whatever we're doing, Daddy loves us and we are equipped and empowered to love each other with that love. Christ dwells in our hearts. And we dwell in His love. We have arrived. The work is finished... but the journey never ends!