Submitted by Lara Cook
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares
the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
A couple of years ago I attended the High School graduation of some friends. The Valedictorian gave a great speech of course but I still remember the speech given by the Salutatorian. It was all about their journey through high school. He talked about how they had come in as freshmen, started in the freshmen hallway and progressed over the years to each hall and all the different classrooms and teachers they had shared, highlighting special memories along the way. Now they were all together for the last time in the same room. It would, most likely, be the very last time they would all be together in one place at the same time. Their journey had begun in the freshman hallway and had culminated there, at the graduation ceremony. They each had a different journey but they all ended up in the same place, some in better shape than others, but ultimately in the same place.
Embrace the Journey
This speech made me think about life as a whole. We all begin the very same way, as naked, cold, little babies in this cruel world. We begin our journey and we all have a different, specific journey than anyone else. Sometimes our journey is hard and sometimes it is pleasant. Often we may not like the journey we are on and we try to jump from our path to someone else’s. The proverbial phrase “The grass is always greener on the other side” rings true for everyone until they find out that the grass is the same, but someone has fertilized and watered the grass on the other side of the fence. Every path has its obstacles. Every person has pain and hardships in their journey but it is often the pain and hardships that transform us into what God wants us to become. Stay on your path and embrace the obstacles. Do not take an aisle seat to avoid looking out the window because of fear of the unknown. Go bravely with your eyes wide open. As hard and as difficult as it is at times, you do not want to miss the journey – any part of it. The whole journey is what makes the whole person.
This speech made me think about life as a whole. We all begin the very same way, as naked, cold, little babies in this cruel world. We begin our journey and we all have a different, specific journey than anyone else. Sometimes our journey is hard and sometimes it is pleasant. Often we may not like the journey we are on and we try to jump from our path to someone else’s. The proverbial phrase “The grass is always greener on the other side” rings true for everyone until they find out that the grass is the same, but someone has fertilized and watered the grass on the other side of the fence. Every path has its obstacles. Every person has pain and hardships in their journey but it is often the pain and hardships that transform us into what God wants us to become. Stay on your path and embrace the obstacles. Do not take an aisle seat to avoid looking out the window because of fear of the unknown. Go bravely with your eyes wide open. As hard and as difficult as it is at times, you do not want to miss the journey – any part of it. The whole journey is what makes the whole person.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
wrote “To finish the moment, to find the
journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good
hours, is wisdom.” He wanted people
to realize that life is a journey, not a destination. We may be all working towards the destination
of heaven, but God has work for us to do while we are here. He has a path laid out for us with lessons to
be learned and passed on, as well as experiences of joy, love, and happiness.
He desires all those things for us! It all means something. Nothing that happens is for naught. So try to enjoy the path. Be mindful of the destination but don’t run
ahead and miss something beautiful along the way.
Scripture to Claim:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
