While reading Christopher J. H. Wright’s fascinating book, “Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament”, I became transfixed by something he wrote: “A destination is not just the end of a journey; it is also the point of a journey.” I can’t wait to meet Jesus face to face. It’s when all the frustrations, heartaches, and pain will find their purpose. Living for Jesus is a grand adventure. It is the highest privilege and greatest honor of life. It is a most remarkable journey.
Following Jesus isn’t easy. It can cost you your life, and it will cost you something along the way. But this is what makes it so exciting. We don’t know what is around the next corner. But we know Jesus will go with us. Jesus calls us to walk the narrow path to find Him (Matthew 7:13-14). This isn’t the easy, well-traveled way of the world. That road is predictable. No, we travel a path of great danger and uncertainty. The only thing we know for sure is where the path leads, and that is to Jesus Himself.
The journey, while exciting, doesn’t mean a thing unless we understand the point of the journey. A Christian should never ask, “What is the point?” We know the point is Jesus Himself. The point is to look like Him while we are here on earth without Him. When you know the point of the journey, it makes the trials far more tolerable.
When going on vacation, most don’t enjoy the long hours of travel to get where they’re going. It’s drudgery, boring, sometimes dangerous, and sometimes fatal. We’d rather just arrive at our destination and get to the point. The journey is meaningless if the destination isn’t worth it.
If you’re feeling lost or wondering “What is the point?” to everything, perhaps you’ve gotten so caught up in the journey that you’ve lost the wonder of the destination. It’s easy to do. Satan has done a fantastic job of clogging up our lives with distractions and things that hold no eternal value. We feel like we’re drowning and always running out of hours before completing what needs to be done. We are living for the journey rather than the destination.
Dear friends, the journey we are on is leading to a most magnificent destination. We are traveling to get to Jesus. While it’s true, He is always with us, when we reach the end of our journey, we will experience Him like never before. We will finally be able to grasp the enormous depth of His love. We will understand His divine orchestration all along our way. And we will spend eternity in His presence, living life as He designed it to be.
When discouragement sets in along the way, remember the destination. Life is not about the journey. It’s not about how much we enjoy getting where we’re going, it’s about arriving. The journey is merely preparation for arriving. Keep your focus on the end goal. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is our destination and our hope. The journey, while often exciting, is excruciating and difficult. The destination is beyond words and is the culmination of all our hopes and dreams. Don’t let the journey get you down. Be encouraged as you take the next step towards your destination of an eternity with Jesus.