The Journey doesn’t matter nearly as much as who you’re with.
Like you, I’ve often been told that “the Journey is more important than the Destination.” I hear, “Just in case you fail, make sure you at least enjoy the ride.” It is a true statement, but I’d like to add an amendment. What is a journey without a good sidekick?
I venture onto road trips with my partner, but he is terrible at giving directions. The type of guy who (as we are passing the exit) points and says, “Oh yeah that’s the exit, we missed it”. Or pointing left, when he meant right. But he gets me a drink before I’m thirsty, cooks the food right when I’m hungry, fixes whatever I break without my asking, builds a new car if it looks like it’s trying to break – any and everything. I could complain about how long it takes, how exhausting it is, how troubling it is, how restless I am and I could get mad at him (and myself) for having been dragged along. But when I arrive safely, fed, capable, able, prepared, and happy – the only thing I feel is gratitude. Guess what? This post is not about relationships – it’s about making God your sidekick.
The road trip is made better with his partnership – Â wrong turns and all.
Imagine this: Life is a crazy car ride. Jesus is the passenger with the GPS. And we are the ones missing the stops, missing the turns, going left when we mean to go right. Don’t fret yourself. Jesus still has the wheel, still guiding still leading. He’s stopping in time at the rest stop, he’s still getting us back on the right path from our wrong turn, and we’re not on the side of the road alone. We are protected and going somewhere (Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you…”). We are safe in his arms.
In the middle of this crazy car ride that we call “life”, take inventory. Who’s with you on your journey? Because “it’s not the journey, it’s the destination” response is not enough. It makes me want to chudo-chop someone in the throat when people give me that response or give me a “scripture band-aid”. Do you know what a scripture band-aid is?Â
Person 1: I’m so sad, my husband is terrible, and my coworkers get on my nerves, but I can’t quit because I need this job to pay my bills.
Person 2: Girl, all things work together for them that love the Lord.
What Person 1 needs is proactive Jesus. Person 2 should have said: Bring him to service, maybe you both can work with the Pastor to get marriage counseling. Pay less attention to your coworkers and focus on doing a good job so that promotion will help you pay your bills. Start your day in prayer, girl all things work together for the good of them that love the Lord.
Better right? She got some practical solutions and Jesus. She needs the Jesus portion, but she also needs to be reminded that she is not in her marriage alone. She needs to know that God will help her work hard. God will help her focus along the way. After all, this is the same guy that knows the number of hairs on her head (Luke 12:7).
Don’t bet on reaching your destination, if you don’t have God during the journey.
“Who you’re with” doesn’t just refer to romantic relationships; it means choosing wise alliances period. Don’t let folks drag you down. Befriending the right people and surrounding yourself with people in your industry is best. Iron sharpens iron; reevaluate the company you keep. Because it doesn’t matter where you’re going (God’s got that part), it matters who you’re with.