"Are We There Yet?..."

Children seem to long to arrive. They long for their excitement and anticipation to be fulfilled with meeting their destination. 

I think back to when I was a child...always forced to sit in the dreaded "middle seat" of the back. As the youngest and smallest I held no say in whether or not I'd be sandwiched between my two older siblings. I'd often straaain to lean forward, from the waist up, as far as my seatbelt permitted, just so I could have some extra room and maybe hear what my parents were chatting about up front. 

It's funny how as you grow up and you think back on childhood experiences, you figure out what was reeeally going. lol... 

Ya see, growing up, my family did not have an abundance of money... No pity though...my parents did a wonderful job raising my siblings and me without a reliance on money to have a good time. This meant frequent trips to the library during the day, free neighborhood day-camps, scavenger hunts, kickball in the backyard and dress-up (in all mom's clothes) birthday parties... not to mention one of my most fond memories--> "MAGICAL MYSTERY TOURS!!!" 

Whaaaat? Yes, Magical Mystery Tours... NOT just the name of an old hit Beatles album. ;) Often times on a weekend my parents would load us all up in the car and we'd go for a long drive. Destination??... It was a mystery! This was quite exciting to our imaginative little minds as we'd ponder where in the world we might soon find ourselves! Often times there were guessing games started, giggles, and high hopes built up but when the questions were posed of just where we were headed the answer was always, "Just wait til' we get there, enjoy the ride...it's a magical mystery tour!" 

I can still go right back to that very feeling of excitement and mystery my parents set up for me. :)

I laugh now because I really think my parents had no clue where they were heading half the time. Hahaha.. We'd just drive for a while... Sometimes we'd wind up at a huge furniture store and look around for hours... (That was one of my favorites! Strange, I know.) Other times we'd get soft-serve ice-cream, visit family friends, or go to a big empty parking lot and practice driving the car (or steering the wheel on dad's lap, in my case.)

Anyways... I tell of this pastime because today I am pondering the content of Philippians 3. There's a lot to look at in this chapter but I want to highlight verse 13:

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

When I read these verses I hear the heart of a man who wants so very much to be lost in His Savior. To be all about and all for Christ. He has counted the cost... He's all in for God! 

Is that where I'm at? Have I committed to a sorta-kinda desire to know my Maker or am I wildly abandoning all to be found living in Him..?

Paul knows where his heart is at. And he admits that HE HAS NOT YET ARRIVED on this journey ... Recall: ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride, and ¹⁴ I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.¹⁵ Whoever has a mature faith should think this way. And if you think differently, God will show you how to think. ¹⁶ However, we should be guided by what we have learned so far. (God's Word Version)

I used to think one day I'd arrive and have it all together. I'd be a "complete Christian," a good one,  a mature one... the whole package! THEN I'd be ready to serve and disciple for Jesus! But days like this one, I remember an important lesson, kinda like the one my parents taught during the "Magical Mystery Tours..." It's often about the journey. Maturity is in acknowledging that in the day to day journey of life, I must forget whats been accomplished or tripped up on in the past and strain toward what lies ahead. I have already failed some, fallen down, won battles, cut important corners... I've grown weary, I've forgotten where my strength comes from, and I've forgotten that I'm even heading anywhere some days...

But today I ponder this magical mystery tour, life, and I realize that although I don't know all the pit stops or when the end of this part will come...destination is face to face with my Maker and I want live a life aware and awake to this! I want to run towards this...I want to run towards God. 

Don't you think it'll all be worth it? I do.

May you run with assurance today that others have gone before you and many are cheering for you! There is great destination of all worth and you're not alone in getting there.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

³⁰ 

Even youths will become weak and tired,and young men will fall in exhaustion.

³¹ 

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31