Joy in the Journey.

Do you ever feel like you are just sort of going through life without fully being present? Sometimes I find myself walking and I think to myself, “How are my legs moving and where are they taking me right now?” It seems so silly, but I think we do this more often then we realize. We let ourselves operate out of a basic level of human functioning without being emotionally, mentally, or even spiritually present with our surroundings.

Once we realize this is how we are going about our everyday lives, it is paralyzing. We realize that we have missed out on so much. I’ve come to learn that when we let ourselves operate out of this space we are typically avoiding things that need to be dealt with emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, but we fear the outcome of processing these things so we simply turn on “auto-pilot” and allow ourselves to function at a basic level.

In a moment that we need God most, we tend to shut him out. Why? because we run from an outcome that we do not actually have to fear. Think about that for a second. Jesus Christ was sent to this world to pay ALL of our debts, our sins, our failures, and shortcomings, but we still run from the Lord with that knowledge. Our basic human reaction to fear is to simply shut down. But God calls us to a more comforting space. Jesus himself said these words:

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬)

Why is it that we run FROM the Lord in moments of exhaustion when we are actually encouraged by the Lord to run TO him? Jesus wants to give you rest. Jesus wants to give you peace. We cannot run from the rain in a drought.

It’s hilarious to me that I do this. That I run from the promises of the Lord in times when I need need them most. We cannot run from our problems, but we can choose to direct our problems to the promise-keeper.

No problem that you are facing is too big for the Lord because he has already faced them all on the cross. Every mountain that you face has already been climbed by the one who loves you perfectly. So why not look to the one who is guiding you instead of the trek ahead?

I love hiking, despite my ankle problems, and I love seeing the beauty along the way. The other day I went for a hike with a good friend of mine and I cannot tell you how many times I made us stop because I spotted beautiful flowers. One of them is the picture at the top of this post and I will post a few others below as well, but what I realized along this hike was just how difficult the physical component was. However, stopping to enjoy the beauty along the way made it SO worth it and much more bearable.

I believe God wants us to do this in our pursuit of Him. He knows it will not be easy, but all he asks is that you find more of Him along the way. My previous post pointed to just how much creation speaks His name, but I love that when we are talking metaphorically this applies just as much. Instead of focusing on the summit, focus on the journey and the promises the Lord has for you along the way.

This is how we find rest. When we turn our attention from our trials to the constant and unwavering Father we find that our feet move, not out of basic function, but out of strength from the Lord. We move through the dry desert with confidence and joy in the journey and the promise of rain.

Are you tired? Are you weary? Are you exhausted? Keep walking. Let the Lord guide you. Find beauty in the journey and pray for the rain because it is coming.