Enjoy the journey

Did you have a good trip? This is usually the first question asked when you exit the plane. How often do you reply, "No, it was horrible. The plane took off late, we had a turbulent flight, there was no meal and now I have a headache!" (Oops, that sounds like it happened to me after one of my more uncomfortable flights!)

I would be sorry to waste a whole day just to travel from one place to another; That's why I try to use my travel time somehow. I always take several books with me, letters to answer, articles to be edited, audio tapes and, of course, some chocolate as a treat! So, even if the ride was bumpy or I arrived late, I can still say that I enjoyed the trip because I did not just sit there worrying about all sorts of things that went wrong or cooking with rage.

Is not life sometimes like that? Life is a journey; we can also enjoy it and use the time that God has given us, or we can sincerely care about the circumstances and wish that things would have gone differently.

Somehow our life consists of travel days. We seem to be rushing from one place to another, rushing to meet people and ticking off things off our to do list. Do we ever look back to take a mental snapshot of the day and say, "This is a moment of my life. Thank you Lord for this moment and for this life"?

"We should live more in the present moment," says Jan Johnson in her book, Enjoying the Presence of God, "because it helps us appreciate the processes and results of life."

Life is more than just ticking off things to do on our lists. Sometimes we get too busy being productive and don't feel satisfied until we've accomplished as much as possible. While it is good to savor one's accomplishments, they are much sweeter when we "enjoy this present moment rather than dwelling on the past or dwelling haphazardly on the future" (ibid.). Not only do good things seem better in life when we enjoy every moment but also the bad ones become more bearable when seen as part of the whole process Trials and problems are not permanent they are rather like rough stones on the path I know it's easy to say. But remember that you have already passed many rough patches and your current ones will soon be behind you. It also helps to remember that we are not here just for that purpose, we are on the path to another better place Paul encourages us in Philippians 3,13-14:
“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have grasped it; but one thing [I do]: forgetting what is behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, the prize of the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Let us continue with the goal in mind. But we also enjoy every travel day and use the time. Good Trip!

by Tammy Tkach


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