This has been one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn and relearn and relearn my whole life. I've always been the kind of person who wants the destination. I was totally the kid asking “Are we there yet?” and trying to figure out how many Sesame Streets till we got there. For reals now, if you're going on a trip you are wanting to go SOMEWHERE! Unless you go on one of those movie road trips, but even then they montage most of the boring stuff anyway.
BUT I know it my head that the real life lessons come during the journey. The heart transforms on the journey. Relationships develop during the journey. Your life changes on the journey.
Because I've been a highly destination focused person for most of my twenty-something years I know I've missed out on some really beautiful moments in my journey. Guess how I spent most of two months in Africa on a missions trip? Thinking about what I would tell everyone when I got home. For serious guys, half way across the world and my head was in a cold church in Canada. I can't tell you the names of the kids I worked with. How sad is that?
We do that in relationships a lot too. We meet someone and suddenly they are our best friends and we hang out with no one but them. (Camp friendships anyone?) Or in dating relationships, we're the worst! Meet a guy, shake his hand, and in the morning make him breakfast. When you really take the time to get to know someone you can take a really exciting journey. Maybe it has a specific well defined definition (eg. Marriage) or maybe it will run it's course. Just think of all the things you can learn from another person before any of that happens!
Family is a great journey because typically you are stuck with them for at least the first 17-18 years of your life. You get to learn from parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins your whole life. That's pretty exciting to me! (Plus I have totally cool parents and grandparents.)
Everyday and every moment is another little bit of your journey. Don't rush it. You're gonna die eventually. Until then, what can you learn? What can you see? Who can you get to know? And relax, you'll get there when you get there.
The Apple Orchard <<I just read this and though YES! EXACTLY!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment