When years ago I first heard the word journey used to describe life
with God, I felt relief. I found it beautiful. It still illustrates for me the promise of
His ever-presence. Of adventure.
The idea created some friction, also. I see that now, because I
always wanted to arrive. Ta-Da! Then, everything would be all better. Band-Aid
unnecessary for myself and for those I scraped along the way. Arrival meant
smooth sailing. But that’s not what God promises.
Neither does He promise that we will achieve His wisdom, His
intelligence, or His understanding, far from it. Certainly, He gives wisdom,
understanding and knowledge. Read Proverbs and James. Still, He is the Lord,
all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful. And, oh-so-loving.
But it takes time. Of course, I knew that on a brain level for
years. But my heart bubbled up as the issue. Still does, though God’s done
great works in me. Wanting to achieve. Wanting to stay on top of things.
Wanting to be the smart one. To be sought after, that would be nice. To keep
up. To achieve or establish something outstanding for Him. Wouldn’t that bring
God glory?
But guess what. When I think that way, when we think that
way, we’re measuring in human terms. By numbers. By appearances. By the
physical world. Those can give us important clues, but sole reliance on those brings pressure.
The term journey refreshes.
Sure, it indicates
commitment, and questions still arise. To truly journey with God means we enjoy
a relationship with Him through His Son. He has reservations made for us in
Heaven. Look in the book of John. The journey starts here, but continues in
Heaven.
We follow His purpose to glorify Him. We perform good deeds
not to impress Him or achieve sweat equity to get into Heaven, but out of
gratitude, love and direction from God. That’s why the relief. That’s why the
fun in the journey. And it’s a humbling honor. The gift lies in just being His.
Right now, I am living in the middle, the beautiful middle,
of a leadership class called Emerging
Journey. Today, we finished an emotionally challenging step in our class,
sharing our personal spiritual narratives.
The narratives, abbreviated autobiographies, include
spiritual impacts and lessons from life events. We all shared with great
openness. We weren’t required to share every detail, every sin, every wound.
But the content showed our humanity. We shed tears, and we prayed. We encouraged one
another. Through this, I gained a deeper respect and love for people I already looked
forward to seeing each week.
Human relationships make up a critical part of the journey. God doesn’t ask us
to go it alone. In fact, quite the opposite. Check out the book of Acts.
Last week, I shared my spiritual narrative, sharing more
details, certainly at once, than I’ve ever shared with any other group of
people. It wasn’t easy. It was safe.
I see value in the writing process, because God revealed ways He works with great continuity in my life. He even brought to mind some sweet memories that made me giggle. I see better now why I love kids, what and Who motivates me to help friends and others in crisis, and how I feel satisfied when I express myself creatively.
I believe more deeply and know more gratitude for God’s
reign over me. I love the journey, with His people, and with Him.
©2012 Copy and Photo Helene Bergren All Rights Reserved.
