When I was a kid, my mom had one of those big Buick station wagons with the wood like paneling on the outside. For reasons I still don’t understand, she enjoyed taking my brother and me on “Sunday drives.” A Sunday drive. Those three words were the bane of my youth. Without the inception of smartphones or portable entertainment, the only thing my brother and I could do was look out the window and stare at the buildings and, eventually, the cows and cornfields. Luckily for my brother, he had the unique talent of being able to fall asleep instantly in any moving vehicle. So I was left alone with my thoughts on those long Sunday drives. While I’m sure it was relaxing for my mom, I was always bothered by the lack of destination or direction to our drives.
Now, if you’re not careful, your life will end up feeling like a Sunday drive. You will be moving but you won’t be going anywhere. It will seem like you are making progress but activity and progress are two distinct things.
The journey of life is much more enjoyable when you know there is a purpose attached to it. If your goal is to become a pilot, then going through flight school, vision tests, health screenings, and logging flight training hours aren’t just laborious tasks. In isolation they become meaningless, but the goal in mind makes them meaningful. Furthermore, knowing your purpose will help you stay the course when things get tough. If in life you get stuck on a twist or turn in the road, keep in mind that the road will eventually even out. There will come a point where you can clearly see the destination if you simply keep moving forward. While it’s important to enjoy the journey, it’s imperative you understand where you are going.
Knowing there’s a goal will make you persevere when others might give up. Paul said, “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:24-25). What are you persevering towards? I had the opportunity at a conference to hear a member of SEAL Team Six speak and he described some of the training he went through. I assure you that it is every bit as difficult as you’ve heard. The fact that he was standing there was not only proof that he completed the training but also of the importance of having a goal when enduring a difficult assignment.
Many of us won’t be assigned to go through a grueling training and carry out seemingly impossible missions all over the world, but you and I do have a purpose. Whatever that purpose is will be laden with its own difficulties, twists, turns and obstacles. Think back to the day that you first discovered your purpose. If that day hasn’t come, think about what frustrates you in this world and what you possess that could alleviate that issue locally or globally and then begin your journey. Be sure that once you start traveling that you don’t get sidetracked by the scenery, lulled by the constant motion, frustrated with the slow pace, or distraught by roadblocks. Usually, if it’s too easy it’s because you have become complacent and have taken your eyes off of the destination that you first sought.
If you know your destination, it is up to you to chart your roadmap. There are many paths to the same destination. “There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). In life there are a lot of backseat driver’s who often have a lot of opinions on how you should get where you’re going. Some may be good and many others may be bad. However, through prayer and proper planning you will be able to identify who is guiding you towards fulfilling your purpose and who is placing unnecessary roadblocks in your path, be it intentional or unintentional. If you have consulted God and charted the roadmap to your destination then those who offer conflicting advice have not.
The trouble with our age is all signposts and no destination. – Louis Kronenberger