Destination

Destination vs. Joy

In the world around us, it seems as if the destination is the cure. We grow up in a flood of benchmarks, each one with it's fleeting excitement that never seems to fulfill. As I grow older, I'm beginning to recognize this lifestyle is toxic. The destination mindset trains us to fix our eyes on an "end goal", stopping at nothing to achieve it. 

Our culture is so successful at embedding this mindset that it's become nearly impossible to escape. As an adult, I find myself trying to re-train my brain with little reminders. At the end of my stairway, a poster that reads Happiness is not a Destination, it is a Way of Life. And pinned to my calender, above my desk, The Destination of any Journey is not a Place. 

But what do these mean? What's so "wrong" with grooming children to be goal-oriented?

What they mean is this: The Joy is in the Journey

"Without exception, we all long for happiness... all agree that they want to be happy... they may search for it in different ways, but all try their hardest to reach the same goal, that is, joy." -St. Augustine

And this brings us to the problem. We're trained to focus on the destination. We're searching for joy, from the depths of our soul, and we're looking in the wrong place. We've somehow associated joy with the notion of accomplishment, and instead of slowing down to enjoy the journey - we're groomed to be focused, fast, ruthless, and successful. And we begin to believe that the destination will provide reward, and reward will provide fulfillment, and then we'll find joy. And for a brief moment, the destination mindset may provide an excitement that mimics joy... but it's not the true joy we were meant to experience. 

The joy we were meant to experience is far bigger than any destination. And until we reverse our current mindset, we cannot achieve it. 

"I don't need more time to breath so that I may experience more locales, possess more, accomplish more. Because wonder really could be here - for the seeing eyes". 
                                                                                                             -Ann Voskamp

And that's it, right there in front of you. Joy. In the fleeting moment of every day that you're rushing through to reach that destination. In the moments of frustration and anxiety that could be (should be) thankfulness. In the beautiful little moments that we so often don't stop to recognize. How are we missing it? God has provided all of the grace we need in the everyday... and yet we're out there searching for it. 

So yes, set your goals high. But everyday, with a thankful heart, embrace the grace that God has provided. Slow down, breathe, connect, pray, and listen. Don't be so focused on your "end goal" that you've blinded yourself to the possibility that God may have a different plan for your life. And when He speaks, act according to His will and not your own. 

Embrace each day with a grateful mindset, and you will suddenly recognize the joy that exists all around you. 

Thankful.

Giving thanks. Thankfulness.

It is one thing to follow God's plan for your life; listening and hoping for direction and guidance along the way. And another thing completely to start on the path God has laid out - giving THANKS for every struggle, challenge, obstacle, and failure along the way. You can reach out to God for guidance on your path without first giving thanks. But in doing so, you miss out on experiencing God's full glory in your situation. 

There is beauty in the struggle.

Raw, painful, faith-stretching beauty. There will never be a path God leads you down that won't encounter obstacles. These obstacles are a part of the journey, an element of the experience that God uses to help us grow. To beg for a way out - or a quick fix - is like telling God you don't really need the lesson. You have a better idea. You can find a solution if He doesn't. I mean, who put Him in charge anyway? And then commences the struggle for control. And we lose focus, we lose strength, we lose faith. 

Imagine this: what if by embracing challenges with a thankful heart, we can fully experience God's presence in our struggle. In our life.

Without struggle, there would be no progress. Without struggle, there would be no growth. Without struggle, our journey would not lead to the destination God has planned for us - and His plans are perfect. Although we may not see perfection in the midst of the struggle, He is perfectly shaping us. 

"His secret purpose framed from the very beginning [is] to bring us to our full glory." 

                                                                                                   - 1 Corinthians 2:7

I need to learn to be thankful for the struggle. We ALL need to learn this lesson actually. Not to be thankful despite the struggle, but to truly thank God for it all. The challenges, heartache, sickness, disappointment, confusion, devastation - all of it. And not to thank him after the fact... once the dust settles and we begin to see more clearly. Thankfulness begins with the eyes of faith, to praise Him in the midst of the mess. For the mess. It's in the midst of it all that God can truly move us and form us into the person we're meant to be. 

It ends well. And if you must, repeat that to yourself as you PRAISE God for the struggle. It's through this thankfulness that we receive God's grace in a new and fresh way. Is this not our heart's cry? 

"How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." -Psalm 84:1-2

Giving thanks. Thankfulness to the Lord. For all of His grace, for every struggle, through all things. And maybe this will be our key - the one that unlocks the door of our hearts, allowing us to fully experience our living God in ALL of His glory.