Trust The Journey

I went on a little journey the other morning as I set out for a run. And as I did, I felt like the Lord highlighted moments along the way that I’m supposed to share. I believe he definitely highlighted them to me, to encourage me (and probably distract me from how tired I was) while running. Yet more importantly, I believe he highlighted these moments for me (and those of you reading this) to remember when we aren’t necessarily running, yet are still on a journey. It may be a short-lived journey or long-lived journey, and it also applies to the greatest journey each one of us are on. And, that is the gift of life itself. Whatever the journey may be, I believe these points can be applied to all.

A New Beginning

As I started down the same gravel road I start down most every morning, I began running and remembered that I needed to drop my car off at a local auto body shop. I had agreed to drop it off in the morning, and I needed to find someone to meet me there to drive me back home. As I was running, I literally turned around because I quickly decided it made most sense for me to drive my car into town, drop it off, and run back home! I wasn’t sure exactly how long it would take me or how many miles away it was, but I knew that it was within a reasonable range.

So, that’s what I did. And, after I dropped my car off and began my journey back home I had the thought, “Aren’t new beginnings kind of fun?” And as I processed that, I began to come into agreement. I found that as I took off running from a place that I had never started from before, I had a little extra pep in my step and breath in my lungs! I saw things that I don’t typically see, got to start downhill instead of uphill, and got to find new marking points along the way. There was a part of me that was also a little anxious because I didn’t typically run this route. But, I knew where I needed to go, and I knew that I had what I needed to get me there. And, as I look back the new beginning point was…. fun!

Think about how often in life, we face new beginnings; some that we choose, and some which we don’t. A short list of things that first come to my mind when thinking about new beginnings are….new school year, new job, new home, new family member. And, the list can go on and on. Then, think about all of ways that you have felt (or are feeling right now) as you face these new beginnings. I’m sure you can relate to some or maybe all of the ways I was feeling the other morning… Zealous, motivated, anxious, unsure, excited… Or, maybe you’ve felt (or are feeling) something very different. Whatever those feelings may be, I want you to focus on what was said to me as I started my journey from a new beginning point. “Aren’t new beginnings kind of fun?”

I firmly believe that the Lord postured my heart and mind to think about that so that my experience running home could be… fun… or ….enJOYable. Now, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t get tired or that I didn’t have to push myself throughout my run. Or, that the entire journey was this amazing, euphoric experience. What this mindset and heart posture allowed was for me to start well AND to encourage me not to fear or avoid a new beginning point, but instead to embrace it!

There is a scripture that says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24). You see, with every new day we receive a new beginning. And the Lord gives us the free will to choose how we are going to start it. His desire is for us to start well which is why he tells us to fix our eyes on what is good and praiseworthy and to meditate on those things (Philippians 4:8). Furthermore, new beginnings with God are not limited! They don’t just apply at the beginning of the day, instead he wants us to remember their availability throughout our day and throughout our lives. At any given moment, we can choose to take our thoughts captive and start new. And that is exactly what I was able to do at the beginning of my journey the other morning, and after…..I chose a route that led me to a dead end.

A Dead End

You would think living in Jordan my entire life, I would know what trail leads where by now. But, with all of the new construction and new homes going up I was led down a sidewalk that appeared to lead somewhere, but instead led me no where. Initially, I was disappointed and a little frustrated with myself, but as I turned around and made my way back I was able to reframe my thoughts and remind myself that I was starting fresh once again! Even though I had to turn around and retrace steps that I had already made, I was able to keep my body moving and ask God to show me why he led me where he did.

This, too, can be applied to our lives. And, I believe one of the reasons that he allowed me to go down that trail was to show me that not every road we choose to go down in life will lead us where WE think it is going to take us. But, that does not mean that it was the wrong road or that God did not go with us. I had this idea or expectation that this specific sidewalk was going to take me around a certain neighborhood and get me to a certain mile marker, so that I could reach the mileage goal that I had set for myself. What I didn’t know, is that going down this path that led me to a dead end actually got me exactly where I needed to be at the exact right time.

Slow and UpHill

The Lord knew the desires of my heart that day and knew that I had a certain number of miles that I wanted to run that morning. He also knew that there were some big hills that I would have to climb to get me back home that day and that I was not in the kind of shape I needed to be to run up both of them. So, when I hit my goal at the bottom of the second hill I knew that the Lord had led me where he did, dead end and all, so that I wouldn’t have to run up that last hill! He allowed me to reach my goal and then met me where I was at to teach me something in that process too.

As I was now WALKING and recovering up the second hill, my initial thought was “thank you Lord for getting me to this point, so that I didn’t have to run up this hill!” That thought was then quickly followed with some feelings of guilt and shame for not pushing myself to go further and RUN up that last hill. And, then suddenly I repeatedly kept hearing the words “slow and uphill” over and over again in my mind. I knew it was something that the Lord was highlighting to me. As I walked up that hill thinking about those two words, slow and uphill, I began to notice that my legs were burning more walking than they had been when I was running. And that is when I felt like the Lord told me that sometimes he is very intentional about slowing us down when we are going uphill.

As tiring as running up a hill can be, it is often easier or just really exhilarating to go faster to reach that peak than it is to slow down, feel the burn along the way, and wait to see what he has for us on top. Life is full of valleys and mountaintop experiences. And, often we want to race towards those peaks! But, what if God is doing something in the valleys and on the journey as we are traveling slowly uphill.

Let’s be honest. Uphill battles are not fun, and I know that many of you reading this are in the midst of one. OR, you will face one someday. Maybe you or a loved one are on what feels like a never ending healing journey. Or maybe you feel like you have been praying the same prayer over and over again. Whatever it may be, the Lord does not want you to be discouraged if it feels like the uphill journey you are on is progressing slowly. Because, just like when I started walking uphill the other morning and felt a greater burning in my legs, the Lord may be slowing us down because he is wanting to create a greater burning inside of us for HIM that we wouldn’t otherwise feel if we were going too fast.

The Same Beautiful Ending

What does it mean to have a burning inside of us for God and why does he want that for us? Simply put, it means that he wants us to have a deep, authentic LOVE for him above all else. He wants us to get to know him and his son who died for us, so that we CAN RECEIVE their love and love them back. He knows THAT is what we need to get us where he wants us to be at the end of our journey here on earth; which, is at home with him.

I knew that at the end of my run the other morning, I wanted to end my journey the same beautiful way I do every time I venture out. And that is walking down our beautiful gravel road leading me to a home that I love so very much. Because I knew that was where I was headed and I had everything I needed to get there, it allowed me to start, keep going, and finish well. And, that is exactly what he wants us to keep in mind as we are on this journey we call life.

How do we know where we are going? And that we have what we need or have done what it takes to get there? Romans 10:9,10 says: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you are saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

God has a home (called Heaven) with enough room for each of us (John 14:2) that he wants us to begin to fall in love with and experience NOW. And, I hope that by sharing my journey from the other morning, it will either encourage you to say yes to Jesus for the first time, or encourage you to keep saying yes to him by trusting him with the journey you are on. Remember, he never leaves you. Once you say yes to him, he LIVES IN YOU and goes with you everywhere you go. And that, my friends, is how we begin to experience "heaven on earth.” Which is the same beautiful ending that he has always desired for all of us.