When I was in the Air Force during the 70s, I bought a 65 Mustang and drove it from Kansas to my home town of Poplar Bluff, MO. On the way, the starter wouldn't turn after I got gas at a station outside of Springfield. I had to replace take it apart and replace the coil. Before I made it all the way home, my radiator developed a leak. Not being able to afford a new one or fix it, I nursed the car the rest of the way home. While trip was anything but uneventful, it was successful because I made it home.
When I was 8, my family traveled to Europe on the SS Bunker. There were some very rough waves as we made our way across the Atlantic. I spent a good deal of time with my head hanging over the rail recycling my for whatever scavenger fish might have following the ship. It was years before I would even try cottage cheese or shrimp cocktail again. But, despite the listing of the ship and the turning of my stomach, the trip was a success as we made it to Europe.
All journeys, regardless of their genre, are judged, not on their comfort level but on their outcome. You may have a very difficult time in college, but if you receive your degree, it was a success. On the other hand, you may have sailed right through your college years, having a great time and no worries at all, but if you didn't receive your degree, it was a failure. By the way, failure is an event, not an individual. That thought has nothing to do with this post, it was an added bonus, free of charge. You can apply this truth to marriage, parenting, vocation, anything - even life.
There were a series of movies a while back called "Final Destination," which pictured death as that point. If that were true, then all of us would successfully navigate life as "people are destined to die" (Heb 9:27a). However, that is not the final destination for "after that to face the judgment" (9:27b). Heaven and hell, eternal life and eternal death are the destinations. As Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad the road that leads to death but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life" (Matt 7:13-14). Deth is a portal that opens to the judgment, which delivers you to the destination of the path you have been traveling.
The comfort level of the journey does not relate to the destination. In fact, the path to life is more narrow than the path to death. The successful journey of life is dependent on the arrival at the desired destination. Regardless of how difficult life is, if you arrive at heaven's shores, it was successful. If life was a continual walk down Easy Street but brought you to Hell, it was not successful - unless Hell is your preferred destination.
This was Paul's "secret of being content in any and all circumstances" (Phil 4:12). He took solace and gathered strength in the knowledge of what Christ was doing in his life and beyond (cf. Phil 4:13). He could endure all things because his faith in Christ and God's promises carried him through. Knowing that you will arrived at the final destination of heaven can give you strength for the journey as well. You can endure anything that is just another step toward your home on high. Jus' Sayn.
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