ARE WE THERE YET?
Myself and Simon have been watching the TV series ‘George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces’. What amazes me more than the actual spaces that I see, is the passion and determination that people have. It really is infectious to watch; somehow the expectancy that the people have is dispersed through the TV and I sit there and literally get excited for them. I’m not sure why I like it so much but If I were to narrow things down, it's probably the fact that when problems arise and the cost gets greater, there is still a smile as they dig even deeper. There is no hissy fit, no throwing the towel in; they simply let nothing rob them of their joy!
One of the ones we watched the other day was of an old ambulance that was being made into a touring van for a family of 6. Hearing the owner talk about the finished result just spoke deep into my spirit. It was ‘We don’t have to wait until we get to our destination, our holiday starts the minute we start to move’.
I don’t know what you are like on a journey or what your children are like but I did start to think about how my kids would nearly be killing one another from the point of about 5 minutes into any journey. The trip taken would always be so stressful and literally all I would hear is “Are we there yet?”. They would never be quiet for long and even when I had just answered them I could guarantee that 2 minutes later they would be asking the same question again “Are we there yet?”. The only time they would ever be quiet and full of excitement would be if they were trying to spot Blackpool tower first. To be fair I am the same! I get so impatient on this journey called life, thinking I just want to get to the destination which means that I often miss out on the joy and excitement of the actual journey.
It’s funny but for the last 9 months God really has been challenging me on my attitude of being impatient! You see, when it comes to my walk with Jesus then it would be fair to say that I constantly look to see if ‘I am there yet’? It’s like I put this worldly pressure on myself which results in me feeling that I am not as far on as I should be. It’s crazy but I never let anyone pull me down but the reason for that is because in my own head i’m already down. It’s almost like I measure myself and then wonder how long of the journey is left! In reflection I think I just fixed my eyes on where I thought I should be and to be truthful It was stealing my joy and causing me to miss out on the actual journey of getting to my destination.
As humans I think that we are all capable of beating ourselves up in different areas of our lives which then pushes us to try to get to the destination we think we should be as quick as possible but the truth is that with God the journey only ends if we take ourselves off the track or if He calls us home! When we define our destination, we marginalise God and restrict Him to our so called box that ticks off the ‘Yes i’ve made it in that area’.
Ephesians 3 v 20 says..
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us
Only God knows our destination and how long it will take; rather than pull ourselves down or try to race ahead, let’s get back to enjoying the journey by walking close to Him. It’s His power, and His power alone that changes us into being more Christlike, that strengthens us through the tough seasons when we need to dig deeper and that carries us when we feel that we can’t go any further.
Embrace His goodness in everything, allow Him access to all areas of your life . Rediscover your expectant faith by eagerly watching out for what He wants to show you in the same way as my children would by watching out at the window looking out for Blackpool Tower. I am confident that what you will see and experience will be so much more beautiful!
by Valda Rushton 1st March 2023
