The Journey and the Destination
9/20/2023
Written By: Frieda Dowler
I read bumper stickers, t-shirts, and tattoos. To me, they are an indication of how a person views their life or circumstances. Sometimes, the slogan will identify them with a specific group in society. They often serve as a conversation starter, a silent prayer for a stranger, or at the very least, a subject for contemplation.
One slogan I have seen several times is a philosophy coined by T. S. Eliot, the writer, “It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters”. When you take time to think about that quote, you might realize the destination and the journey are equally important.
What if someone gave you the sports car of your dreams? Driving it would exhilarate you, but you’d probably think of a destination in order to maximize your driving experience. It might include straight or curved roads, mountains or flat lands. Depending on what you expected from the experience, you would choose your destination first.
I’ve read that the journey is a line, and the destination is a dot at the end of the line. A majority of American Christians believe heaven is their dot at the end and life is the line. But what if we saw our dot at the beginning of the line and not at the end? What if we decided our destination first and let it determine our choices along the line of life? It would change our journey.
The book of Exodus records a journey The Children of Israel took to the Promised Land from the Wilderness of Sin. They chose to believe there was a better way to live than their circumstances allowed. They chose to believe their deliverer, Moses, would take them to a promised land. Like the Israelites, we must first believe there is a better way to live. Then we must choose to believe our deliverer, Christ, will take us to our promised land, heaven.
The Wilderness of Sin represents bondage and slavery to the Egyptians. Ours looks different from theirs, but it means servitude to the forces of sin, or the choices that keep us separated from God.
The Israelite’s journey to a new land from the wilderness, like ours, represents a journey of salvation from sin. It begins with heaven as our destination, or complete restoration in our relationship with God. Keeping that in mind helps us stay focused as we journey through life.
Each of our journeys will look different, but will include the same principle. Keeping our eyes on the destination we chose.
According to the Chain Reference Bible, these are the things the Israelites experienced along their journey. We will probably face these on our journey, too.
· deliverance from sin
· abandonment of the sinful life
· forgiveness of our sinful life
· evil forces pursuing us during the process
· the divine presence of God
· spiritual victories
· realization church people aren’t perfect
· the bitter and sweet experiences of a spiritual life
· partaking of the bread of life and the living water
· the need for cooperation with leaders
So, does our destination matter? Yes. Does our journey matter? Yes, equally. Because our faith increases in the process where we inherit heaven.
Hebrews lists the “Hall of Faith” of heroes and heroines of the Old Testament who chose their destination and journeyed because of it. The dot, then the line.
“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that–heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a city waiting for them.” Hebrews 11: 13–16 The Message
The Miriam Webster Dictionary defines destination as “the purpose for which something is predetermined–or destined. To decree beforehand.” When we think of our destination as the thing we decree ahead of time, it becomes the dot, the beginning of the line. When we decide ahead of time, that will keep us moving in our journey toward the thing we are destined for.
But we can’t imagine heaven. We haven’t been there. We have no comparison to it. We only have our journey. And the Bible speaks to both the journey and the destination simultaneously. As if our journey and destination are equally important.
What if every slogan we read opens the heart of another person to us? It states what’s important to them. What if we didn’t dismiss it as only a bumper sticker, t-shirt, or tattoo? What if we saw it as their cry? Could our conversations have deeper meaning or could our prayers be more affective?
The Bible provides the destination and the journey toward peace and fulfillment in life. God holds all the answers along the way, no matter whether we take the straight or curved road, the mountains or flat land. That fact is worth sharing with others.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived of what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” I Cor. 2:11 NIV.