We’ve all heard the old adage, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Whichever posture you embrace – life is a journey or life is a destination – will significantly shape your experience – for better or worse.
Before bed most nights, I’ve been reading C.S. Lewis’ classic children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia to my youngest son. We are currently reading A Horse and His Boy. It’s the story of a talking Narnian horse named Bree and a young servant (who is really a prince) named Shasta. After an arduous trek across the desert, and reaching what he thought would be their final destination, Shasta lamented to find out the journey wasn’t over.
He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed, your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one. (A Horse and His Boy, p. 152)
Life really does work that way, doesn’t it?
Somehow we think life should get easier and have fewer challenges, and when it doesn’t, we get discouraged. Though we would often like to put life on cruise control and take our hands off the wheel (bring on the self-driving cars!), life doesn’t usually work that way. It never really has.
We Need a Posture Shift
Part of the problem and answer is found in how we view life.
Life is hard. There is no way around that. It usually comes with more and bigger challenges, but those challenges can also make you better. It’s the same with blessings. Blessings are great, but they also come with complications.
Take marriage and children. Having a life companion is a wonderful gift, but it also takes a lot of intentional work. Relationships are like a garden, you have to cultivate them if you want to have an abundant harvest. Children are a gift, and to see a child – born in your likeness – grow and develop as a human being is a delight! But raising children can also be really hard and complex, especially in today’s world. If you have children, you know what I’m talking about.
But that’s also what makes life rich, isn’t it?
I would like to propose we need a posture shift. Instead of anticipating that life will get easier, we should anticipate the opposite – that life gets more challenging as time goes on, but like a fine wine, it also gets better with age. I believe life gets richer and more robust…so long as we are committed to growing and developing as people and we have the right posture.
Cliche or Wisdom for the Ages?
“Life is a journey, not a destination.” It’s either a cliche or it’s profoundly true.
I happen to believe the latter.
When you view life as a journey, you realize there are always going to be hills and valleys. Raging rapids and still waters. Storms and sunny days.
It’s all part of the journey.
If you’re in a valley right now, it’s only a matter of time before you start climbing out of the darkness and you can see from the mountaintop again.
Life ebbs and flows.
When you view life as a destination, you will be continually disappointed. You will always wonder if you’ve arrived and the pain is over, only to find out you haven’t and it isn’t.
Furthermore, when you view life as a destination, you stop living! The journey doesn’t stop once you reach a destination, it begins!
Will you enjoy the journey or will you be constantly disappointed because you thought you reached the destination only to find out you really didn’t?
The journey is hard, but there is always something better awaiting you. Enjoy where you are, or if you are walking through a valley know that there is always hope that something better is coming.
Which posture will you embrace? Is life a journey or destination?
You choose.
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
Joe Jansen says
Good post! The challenges shape us our attitude determines for better or worse.
Kent Murawski says
Very true, Joe!
Mary Murawski says
Kent, as a senior citizen , I can attest to what you say as being true! Life is a mixture of highs snd lows, but as we put God at the forefront, we can endure and actually treasure the ups and downs!
Hopefully and prayerfully the end will be “UP!”
Thanks for your knowledge of life and sharing it with all of us! ❤️