“A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.” Proverbs 16:9 AMP

There are a variety of approaches to traveling, some positive and some negative. One phrase has been coming to my mind all morning…”ROOOOAD TRIIIIIIP!!!!!” This is the approach that is on my mind today. It is a perspective that is about the journey and not the destination. It’s a perspective that says, “I am looking forward to the value of the time spent ON THE WAY to the destination even more than the destination itself.” This is how we are supposed to view each day of our lives.

Guess what? Life is nothing more than one long road trip to the hereafter. We can choose to spend our days whining about needing to go to the bathroom, the price of gas at any given stop, and constantly asking, “Are we there yet??” The thing is, each day that we are blessed to open our eyes and draw breath, we are most definitely NOT there yet. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to understand that this is not a negative point!

When I am excited about taking a road trip, it doesn’t matter how long or short the distance, but only how I’ll choose to spend my time on the road. It’s about music and snacks, it’s about talking and laughing, it’s about being present and truly enjoying the time I’ve been given. When my husband and I set out for a drive down to Florida, we get giddy with excitement. We pack a little cooler with drinks and snacks. We enjoy pit stops at gas stations, and we look forward to the quality time alone together. Riding somewhere with my sister, whether across town or across the state, means time to talk and loads of laughter. It means music and singing. It means taking time to consider the many questions life brings our way.

We spend so much of our time trying to reach the next destination, the next step, the next goal. But where does all of that really get us? Like tissues from a box, once one goal is attained, another one pops up to replace it. Satan works very hard to keep us VERY busy in life today. He wants us spinning and stressed. He wants us to focus on the perceived destination, and thus keep our attention off of the actual moment at hand. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have goals and objectives in life, but those things cannot become more important that the journey we take to get there.

It’s no wonder we struggle so hard at being still. We always feel compelled to be somewhere else. When we are living life so focused on what is yet to come, we find it unbearable to just be where we are…as though we are going to lose control if we don’t keep reaching out and touching everything that isn’t in front of us. But what will happen? Will the earth spin off its axis if the rest of the world doesn’t hear from us for an hour or two? Do we really believe that disconnecting for a time will result in potential life-altering calamity? If so, then perhaps that means what we’re trying to hold together is of our own making and not of God’s. We have to accept and trust that whatever God puts together will stay together, and nothing we can do will change that.

At some point, we begin to idolize the things we are striving for…the next promotion, the next degree, the desired relationship. We begin to place more importance on those things than on living the life God has actually given us. We begin to see our view of what is best and right for our lives as absolutely vital, and in doing so, we lose our capacity for allowing God to guide our paths. If we are focused on only one outcome as acceptable, then how can we ever give ourselves to God’s will and be happy with HIS outcome, especially if it turns out to be different than our own design?

I love the picture above, as the faces of my husband and my nephew express how I feel at the precipice of a road trip…their faces express how we should strive to view the overall journey of life. We are not always going to be happy, and it’s ludicrous to insinuate otherwise. However, when we have faith that our path leads to God, we can find joy in the journey, even when we get a flat tire or find ourselves stuck in heavy traffic. No matter where we are on our individual journey, we always have the option of reaching across the center console and taking God’s hand. He will always be right there waiting to help us through whatever bumps and detours that are coming our way.

“It is [only] eleven days’ journey from Horeb (Mount Sinai) by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea [on Canaan’s border; yet Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years before crossing the border and entering Canaan, the promised land]. The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough on this mountain.'” Deuteronomy 1:2,6 AMP

These passages tell me that I will wander in my own wilderness for only as long as God deems necessary. I will wander my own path until I finally choose His, and only His path will lead me to my own promised land. So my only true goals are to seek His will each day, to be present where I am, and to hold onto joy even when my days are not happy. What goals do you need to reevaluate, and what perspective do you have on the journey of life? Are you on a Rooooad Triiiiiip, or are you on a treadmill?