About 30 years ago, Carah, Jordan, who is about one year old, my parents, and I traveled to Pennsylvania for a family wedding. Travel is always exhausting, but traveling with a one-year-old is a whole new level of tiredness. I’m sure many of you reading this understand what I’m discussing.
We got up at 5:30 am, drove two hours to the airport, waited in the chairs, got on the plane, lugging a car seat, diaper bags, and everything else a one-year-old might need about an hour into the flight. Jordan started to cry.
I’m sure one way or another. You know this pain either you know because you’ve been on a plane with a one-year-old who’s crying or you’ve been a passenger on a plane and someone else has a child who is crying. Not wanting to become too graphic but also wanting you to understand the desperation of two young parents, Jordan had a blowout of her diaper. The blowout was everywhere: her clothes, blankets, and the airplane seat. People gave us dirty looks for 5 hours.
When we landed, collected our luggage, rented our car, had a bite to eat, and began the 1.5-hour drive, it was about midnight. I was the driver, and as the toll of the day started to set in, it was becoming harder and harder to focus, but I could tell from the map that I was close. Our phones did not have Maps on them for anyone under thirty. We had pocket maps we unfolded from the glove box to find our way into new areas.
It was almost 2 am, and out of the darkness, the exit appeared, and the hotel sign was a beacon of light. Suddenly, a burst of hope came into my eyes after 20 hours of travel, or so I thought. The hope in me quickly disappeared as fast as it appeared. I could not figure out how to get off the freeway to the hotel that could be seen 100 yards away. Even my constructive backseat drivers could not help. For the life of me, I could not find my destination even though I could see it.
We often come to church and can see our destination, but the directions can be daunting. What turn do we take? What scriptures do we read? How can we hear God’s voice? Like Carah and I, we finally got to our hotel; you, too, will find our final destination because God is sovereign. John has some words of wisdom for our journey in 1 John this week. If you are still trying to figure out the direction your life is going, I encourage you to come on Sunday at 9:30 am.
In Him,
Pastor Chris