When was the last time you stopped to evaluate where you are on your journey of life? Are you in the first quarter of your life with grand and idealistic plans ahead? Are you in the middle of your life (like I am) with many decisions in the past and much going on and much to look forward to? Or are you in the final quarter of your life with the vast majority of important decisions already behind you?

Wherever you are, we ought to give thought to both our journey and our destination.

“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” 
–Arthur Ashe

“The journey is the reward.” 
–Steve Jobs.

To some degree, Ashe and Jobs are right. If we are intentional about learning on the journey, then the journey becomes just as important as the destination. But for a person with a Christian worldview, the destination is the crux or the core of our belief system.

In Eden, Adam and Eve had perfection, and they had a relationship with God. They gave it all up when they sinned. Their sin separated them from God and disconnected them from the place of perfection. Ever since, humans have been searching for ways to get to where God is–to get to heaven. Nearly every worldview contains some kind of journey or obedience scenario articulating how a person can find heaven, peace, utopia, or nirvana.

In the Bible, we see many different pictures and paradigms regarding the journey of life. God chose Abraham and sent him to find the land of Canaan–a land he found but didn’t inherit. God protected his chosen family from famine in Egypt where they eventually became slaves. Then God sent Moses to lead Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. For the entire journey, Israel grumbled, complained, and failed to believe God. After 40 faithless years wandering, they finally made it to the Promised Land. But when they arrived under Joshua’s leadership and during the time of the judges, they still chose idols over God. They had arrived in the Promised Land, but their hearts had not changed. Even after God gave them a king and established them in the land, they disobeyed, rebelled against God, and turned to idols. God exiled them, then he rescued them. And they still failed to follow him faithfully. After 1500 years of Israel’s history, the people were finally back in the Promised Land though under Roman control. They had their temple and were in the land of promise, but they were still not completely right with God. So God fulfilled his greatest promise and sent Heaven to earth.

Jesus came from heaven to earth because we cannot get to heaven on our own.

Israel’s story of exodus, wandering, Promised Land, kingdom, exile, and return is a template or paradigm for the human story. Having every advantage of Law and Covenant, Israel still failed to make it. They didn’t get to the destination. They didn’t find their rest (Hebrews 4).

Another part of Israel’s story that resonates with us is their need for a redeemer, rescuer, or hero. Moses led them out of Egypt. Joshua led them to conquer the Promised Land. Numerous judges rescued them from marauding kingdoms. David advanced the kingdom. Prophets announced God’s Word and called the people to repentance. Priests represented God to the people and the people to God. Yet each human rescuer needed rescue as well. They foreshadowed and pointed to the ultimate Rescuer.

Israel had many enemies during her history: Egypt, slavery, wilderness, suffering, hunger, thirst, armies, nations, idols, their own unbelief. These enemies (external or internal) hindered them from God and his purposes and promises.

We have many of the same enemies: sins, unbelief, devils, temptations, distractions, sins, suffering, wilderness, worries. Our enemies hinder us from God and his purposes and promises.

Just as Israel needed a greater or better Redeemer, so do we. So Jesus came. He came to show the way. He came to be the way. He came to lead us to the destination. He came to be destination. He came to model the journey. He is the journey. If eternal life (heaven) with God is the destination we long for, Jesus came so that we could get there.

Remember:

Jesus came from heaven to earth because we cannot get to heaven on our own.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6

So where are you on your journey? Are you struggling, suffering, doubting? If so, join the club. For thousands of years people on the journey have wandered, wavered, failed, and strayed.

Are you hopeful you will make it to the destination? If you are hopeful of heaven, then the only way you will arrive is by following Jesus.

Here are a few invitations for your journey:

• Consider what your journey says about your destination. We’re all heading somewhere. What do your choices, habits, struggles, ambitions, accomplishments say about where you’re headed?
• Consider what your destination says about your journey. Where do you want to end up? What are you living for? What do your purposes and goals tell you about your journey? If our aim is to be with God in eternity, then it will change our habits and decisions on our journey.
• Accept that Jesus is both the journey and the destination. If you have him, you have God and you have eternal life. Jesus is the Promised Land and the Rescuer who takes us there. He is the hero we need and the model we follow.
• Follow the journey that Jesus modeled. Do what he did. Take him at his Word. Examine how he lived and follow his habits and practices. There is no better guide. He lived faithfully and modeled what we are to do. He is the way (John 14:6; Matthew 16:24).
• Anticipate the destination where you will see Jesus. See the culmination of your life not as a place, condition, or circumstance here in this world. See the culmination of your life’s journey as the destination where you will see Jesus face to face. There’s no other destination worth living for.

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash