Every week I drive about an hour each way to take care of my grandchildren. Of course I am anxious for the destination and those sweet hugs when I get there, but the journey has become a special time for me as well.
I have two choices. I can take the faster way and take the toll road with the opportunity to drive 75 miles an hour with little traffic. I will have to dodge a few cars going 90 instead of the 75. If I choose the other path, I will be able to drive 55 mph and for a significant stretch, I will only be able to drive 35 mph. But when I am driving 35 mph, I will be driving through Brushy Creek. Beautiful walking trails will be on one side of the road and the sounds of a calming creek will be on the other. On my journey I may see a deer or two and in the spring, I will see beautiful wildflowers.
If you know me at all you know I choose the slower and more beautiful path. In that hour I spend the first half praising God for what He has done in my life and thanking Him for my precious family. I then pray for each of them by name and pray for friends and acquaintances that come to mind. On the second half of the journey I either listen to music that feeds whatever need I have at the time or I listen to empowering TED talks.
The older I get, the more I focus on the journey rather than the destination. My children tease me about becoming an old lady but in reality, it isn't the middle-aged grandmother coming out, but my inner hippie wearing a ring of wildflowers on my head taking in the sun for the day.
I think we have a couple of choices when it comes to people. We can either focus on the destination or the journey. Think about it. If you go to a family reunion or a class reunion. It is easy to scan the room and pigeon-hole people based on their appearance or a few moments of conversation. We can reach our destination in a matter of moments. We know where they live, their family situation, and their vocation. Destination reached. When we go on a mission trip we find out their names; we share the gospel. Destination reached. When we serve in a classroom of children with special needs, we can learn their names, their diagnosis, their triggers, and our assessment on how they can best be served. Destination reached.
Yet there is a whole beautiful journey to be experienced. When we focus on the destination we often focus on the clock but when we focus on the journey we will focus on the relationship. Oftentimes the destination is about us and the journey is about the person we are serving.
I will never forget the sweet young lady that brought this perspective home for me. She was a little girl that, in our perspective, functioned at about 6 months. She was non-verbal. In those early visits with her I admittedly was somewhat focused on the destination. Then one Sunday I sat on the floor next to her. I entered her world. I went on her journey. I learned that she loved to listen to worship music. She loved to hear me whisper prayers in her ear. She smiled when I told her stories and talked about Jesus. It was then that my experience became a journey, rather than a destination.
