God doesn’t always take us where we want to go. And sometimes when he does, he leads us in a way we never would have imagined. Often God’s way isn’t the shortest or quickest path, but instead seems to take us on an inconvenient journey.
Today, we live in a shortcut society, a culture of convenience. Microwaves for popcorn. Cell phones with text messaging and movies. We can download almost anything instantly. And we’re hoping that Scotty of Star Trek fame will soon be able to beam us up, or anywhere else for that matter.
That’s because we live life in the fast lane, and with so many of us there the traffic is often at a standstill. We wish we could get where we’re going so we can do what we think we should be doing. But we sometimes we can’t. So we grow ever more impatient and less content.
We’re busy—being busy. In fact, we become so busy living, we forget to have a life. Couples live together, yet grow farther apart as their interests and involvements diverge. Rather than participate in family activities, we each go our separate ways. And we also distance ourselves from the One who loves us more than life.
God wants us to do more than slow down. He wishes we’d do more than make a pit stop to smell a few roses. He wants us to enjoy this journey called life. And he’s willing to take us on the scenic road for a reason.
God is more concerned about our character than our comfort, who we’re becoming than where we’re going.
The same was true with the children of Israel when they wandered in the wilderness. That may have been the result of disbelief, but God didn’t waste the time. Instead he used it to mold his people and shape their faith. He does the same with us today so that like them we can cross over into God’s promises.
When we begin to change the pace of our lives, we can change the place we live. We can move from the states of Urgency and Panic to the states of Peace and Joy. And when that happens, we’ll change our perspective of life.
We may not arrive at our destination as fast as we once hoped we would, but we’ll enjoy the journey more. And it won’t seem as inconvenient as we once thought it would be.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
