I think that the record needs to be set straight. It is not the destination but the journey that matters. We are taught from a young age that the goal is to get some place and then we are done . . . that we have “made” it. That we are to get from “Point A” to “Point B”. What they don’t tell you is that this is a myth . . . a lie. When you get to what you think is your final destination you discover that there is more yet to come. Beyond “Point B” is ”Point C to Z”.
Think about it. We spend twelve to thirteen years working our way through the public school system towards graduating . . . we get to our senior graduation, and they tell us that this is only the beginning . . . that from graduation we move on to either more education like college or we jump into the workforce. Suddenly we realize that graduating high school is only a rest stop and that there is still more to come. Same deal with college graduates . . . it is either more school or off to the workforce. There always seems to be more to learn.
What about relationships? We move from dating to engagement to marriage. With marriage we think we have reached the mountaintop only to learn that we are just beginning. When we finally get comfortable in our relationship with our spouse . . . BOOM! A baby comes along, and we are starting all over again. We become parents. Which is a myth and lie all in itself too. Parenthood changes everything. We think we master it and get the kids out of the house only to learn that it ain’t over yet. Parenting doesn’t end it takes on a new form with our adult children. We become grandparents! It seems that we never reach the end.
The truth of the matter is that it is not the destination but the journey that matters . . . and, as we are discovering, it is a long and winding road that we journey down in life. That is probably why some of us call life an adventure.
The Apostle Paul eventually came to that conclusion. Take the apostle’s resume: one of the “chosen people, from the correct tribe, raised in the proper tradition of faith, educating by the best, in the right clubs as a Pharisee, persecutor of the “church”, prim and proper as it come to following the laws, blameless and faultless among the people—he was as he said, “. . . a Hebrew of Hebrews.” His pedigree was impeccable. In life he had reached the pinnacle . . . he had it all . . .
. . . or so he thought.
Sitting in a prison cell one has a lot of time to think and Paul thought
about where he had come from and wondering where he was going. He recognized that in what he thought was the destination . . . that of being a “Hebrew of Hebrews” . . . was only a part of the journey. He understood that there was still much down the road . . . the long and winding road of life. Such is life when one gives his or her life to Jesus . . . declares to follow Jesus. The apostle writes: “Forgetting what is behind and striving toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
So here is the truth: life is a journey . . . a journey down a long and winding road . . . towards fulfillment in Jesus’ call upon our lives. It is not something that is achieved through the completion of a class or Bible study. It is not something accomplished with baptism or catechism. It is not getting a degree from a bible college or seminary. It is not being chosen a member of the elders or diaconate. None of those matters . . . it is the journey . . . the journey of living as Jesus lived . . . as doing as Jesus did . . . of establishing the Kingdom of God in the moment.
That was Paul’s big revelation . . . it’s the journey not the destination. And as we all know it is quite a journey down a long and winding road.
Think of your life. Think of everything that has happened in your life up to this very moment. These are the people, places, things, and experiences that have shaped you into the person you are today. Each is a brick in the wall of your life. It is this wall that you stand upon.
Considering Paul’s background, credentials, and his experiences prior to giving his life over to and following Jesus, one might think that the apostle was more than a little embarrassed . . . after all, he did attempt to wipe out the Jesus movement! But he wasn’t embarrassed because he came to understand that it was all a part of the journey. Paul does not turn his back on who he was, instead he embraces a new perspective of that makes him who he is. It was all a part of the journey. Because of this he tells his readers to “press on”.
None of us got to where we are by ourselves. There have always been people in our lives. Some who have journeyed with us, some we have encountered along the way, and others we have sought out to assist us. Through these people we have learned something that has helped us to grow . . . helped us to move further down the road. These people have supported and encouraged us. They have challenged us. They have made a difference in our lives in order for us to discover who it is that God created us to be.
None of us has lived life in a vacuum. We have experienced life in God’s creation . . . in the good and the bad . . . in the happy and sad. We have experienced the exhilaration of the highest mountaintops and the darkness of the deepest valleys. We have seen it all and it has impacted our lives making us who we are. Our experiences in the world and life have challenged us to grow and move beyond where we are.
Jesus invites us to travel down the road with him. It is not a nice straight road. No, it is a long and winding road. There are sharp turns, blind curves, potholes, detours, and even dead ends. It is a real adventure that we are being called upon to make with Jesus. Yet we cannot allow ourselves to fall for the myth that we have already “made it” . . . that we have come to the final destination . . . that we are there and nothing else matters. Like Paul we must recognize that faith is a journey and not a destination. It is the journey that matters most because it is in the journey that we grow in our faith . . . grow in our love for God and one another.
And we must remember that it is always a choice . . . our choice. One of my favorite Yogi Berra quotes goes like this: “When you come to a fork in the road, pick it up!”
When Jesus issues the invitation to follow him, he is challenging us to bend over and pick up that fork. The Apostle Paul came to understand this and so must we. During the season of Lent we take the time to consider the journey we have been on as followers of Jesus. We consider the past and the people in that past . . . how they have impacted our lives . . . how they have helped us to change and grow. After all, these are the bricks that make our houses of faith. These are the bricks that make us who we are. Like Paul we need to realize that the story is not over . . . the journey has not ended . . . there is still much to travel. Traveling mercies to us all during this journey of the Lenten season, but more importantly on this journey of life. Amen.
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