“I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His Sufferings, becoming like Him in His death…” –Philippians 3:10
Any parent going on a road trip with young children knows this question: “Are we there yet?” Most kids have little appreciation for the journey. All they care about is when they’ll reach the destination. With all their nervous energy and short attention spans, sitting in a car for hours can’t be their idea of fun.
However, you don’t have to be a young person to prioritize the arrival point over the time and effort required to get there. The problem is, once we reach the “destination” we usually realize it’s merely the jumping off point for the next stage of the journey.
We plod through our elementary, middle and high school years, then the ‘finish line’ finally comes into view – graduation day. Hooray, we’ve arrived! But then there’s college or a trade school or the military, and we realize there’s another part to the journey. When we reach the end of that stage, the supposed ‘destination,’ to our surprise there’s another part to the journey called “career.”
Our destination, it seems, no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in, turns into a moving target. We never really arrive. The journey continues until we take our final breath.
Nowhere is this more evident than in our spiritual journey. I think back to my early days as a follower of Christ. I was studying the Bible, memorizing verses, going to church regularly, reading Christian books, listening to messages by prominent evangelical leaders, attending conferences, and doing whatever else I could think of to grow spiritually. My ‘destination,’ I thought, was to attain spiritual maturity.
I remember learning some foundational biblical truth and thinking, ‘That’s it! Now I’ve got it,’ thinking I’d discovered the secret sauce to being a godly person. But soon afterward I’d realize, ‘Nope, not yet.’ There was more to be learned, much more, and a great deal more to be experienced – joys and victories, trials and tribulations. Whenever I asked, “Am I there yet?” the answer was an emphatic, “No!”
The same holds true for the so-called ‘heroes’ of the Bible. There are so many examples we could cite, but let’s consider the apostle Paul.
Paul had been used in wondrous ways by the Lord. But perhaps he was more honest in his self-appraisal. He had been a bold witness for Jesus Christ, had been a part of glorious miracles, and had been delivered from many forms of adversity and strong opposition. Surely he had arrived spiritually, right?
And yet, while in prison, he reviewed his life and ministry in a letter to believers in ancient Philippi. He concluded, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:10-14).
Think and Pray: If this was true for Paul, it’s certainly true for each of us. Our spiritual journey is lifelong. Each morning is a reminder that we’re not “there yet.” Heavenly Father, thank You for calling me heavenward in Christ Jesus, help me to persevere onward with every breath You gift me with in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Robert J. Tamasy has written Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies; coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring, and edited numerous other books, including Advancing Through Adversity by Mike Landry. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
