| When I was a kid, my mom would give us gifts on long road trips. I have clear, fond memories of her doing this for us as we sat in the back seat. It was a known tradition. She would turn around from the passenger seat with the biggest smile and ask us, “Is anyone ready for a gift?” We would all light up with joy immediately. One by one we would get passed back coloring markers and books, new video games, and other fun things to do on the car ride, a gift for each of us. My sisters and I were giddy with anticipation as we would each receive something thoughtful on our trip as a family. I thought it was normal then, but as I have reflected on this now, I understand and have even more appreciation for the extravagant love she showed us on those car rides together. It’s not that receiving gifts equals out to love or that we needed any of those things to feel joy. Those gifts were about thoughtfulness. Intentionality. They were reminders of love and meant for occupying our minds and hands with it while we drove hours and hours to where we were going. I recognize that on most of these trips, we were going on vacation, and how blessed I am to have been on those rides to begin with. Most children in the world are not only not receiving impromptu gifts on car rides, but they are also not receiving them while going on vacation. I learned a while ago that you can’t discount the joy you have been able to experience in life because others have not been able to. It makes your joy even more worth reflecting on and celebrating. It even gives us the ability to be stewards of our joy and share it with others who did not receive those same moments we did. So, when I think about those special memories, I embrace them wholeheartedly and smile with the same warmth and wonder I did when I was receiving gifts in the backseat of the family car. Most of the time on our journey, I had no relative clue where we were in relation to where we were headed. I didn’t know the names of the roads, interstates, major landmarks, or cities. I was along for the ride. The part of getting there was left in more capable hands than a little boy. I never once questioned whether or not we would arrive eventually. I can’t remember ever thinking about if I was safe on the drive, I just knew I was. I don’t have recollection of being overly concerned with the details of the destination. What I knew to be true was that I was with my family, and we were headed somewhere good. This story has convicted me in more ways than one as I have reflected on those memorable trips and gifts received. Why does it feel like I’ve gripped the steering wheel too tight and taken some of the responsibility of getting older and confused it with the need to control where I’m going and how fast I get there? The spectacular journey of being caught up in the moment on a car ride gets traded in for white knuckle driving through traffic, planning exactly what will happen when I arrive and stressful directions that don’t make a lick of sense, all too often. When did I forget that God is a God of the journey, not the destination? Maybe you can relate to my days in the backseat. Is God asking you if you’re ready for a gift? Are you even ready to receive it if you are more focused on where you’re headed than the journey with Him? Keep this in mind – God is the destination. And if we keep our compasses pointed at Him, we’ll end up right where we’re supposed to be with more gifts than we can count along the way. God does that. He blesses us with things along the way. Sometimes we get confused and think we have to “make it” to a certain place before we can receive anything from God. What if these made-up milestones in our head are causing us to miss out on what God wants to give us RIGHT NOW? You may not have any clue where you are right now. You may not see any “signs” or know the names of the roads. Some of them are dark and marked with things we’d rather not choose to drive down: grief, pain, loss, loneliness. Remember this, driving down them is in much more capable hands than your own. Anticipation is a good thing. What can trouble us is when we allow the details of the destination to take over the present moment of the journey with a God who wants to be with us right now. He is before, with, and ahead of us all at the same time. He is the great “I am”. The road may be unknown, yes, but what you can know to be true is this: God is with you, and you are headed somewhere good. |