Our Journeys

When MJ & I are on a long car journey and the traffic is slow I sometimes remember journeys we made when the children were small. They might read a bit, then if we were lucky they might nod off to sleep. But when they woke there would be the dreaded questions. “Mum, are we nearly there yet?” “How long will it be Dad?” Time matters and, as life gets busier & faster, it seems to get even more important.

When we start a journey we usually ask, “When do we arrive?” And if we are on a bus these days the answer may well be, “Who knows?” Life might be a bit richer and more interesting if, instead of asking how long the journey takes, we ask what we can see on the way.

Real travelers, explorers, often say that the thrill and satisfaction lies in the journey itself. Not in the arrival. The experience gained as we travel is the most valuable thing. If we concentrate so hard on the end result, we may loose the joy of the journey.

Time is for people, not the other way round, and the real joy of the journey we make through life is the people we travel with and the shared experience.

Travel well today.

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Lord of the journey,
Give me the joy of knowing
You are with me every step I take.

Every valley shall be filled in,
Every mountain and hill laid low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
The rough ways smooth.
And all mankind will see God’s salvation.

Luke 3 : 5-6