Getting There

You had a dream and you just knew that when you got there everything would be great.  You envisioned yourself in that better job, in that bigger house, having finished that degree, whatever the dream at the journey's end, you imagined how fulfilling, how wonderful, how awesome it would be.  But in reality there was a bit of a let down, it wasn't what you thought, it left you feeling there should be more.

What we find is that the anticipation in getting there and the actual process of getting there are often more meaningful than actually getting there.  Each step along the way we feel this sense of accomplishment, we watch as the goal gets closer and closer in view.  Emotions rise and the growing nearness of achieving that goal heightens our senses.

The thing is that while we tend to put all our focus on finally getting there, what we often miss out on is that the process of getting there is where much of the excitement and reward is found.  It is not just reaching the top, it is the journey to the top as well.  What we miss by focusing only on the goal is the value of the journey.

Taking time to savor the steps in between the beginning and the end is so important.  In order to get the full benefit of getting there, we must take joy in getting there, celebrate the steps along the way, allow yourself to feel the sense of accomplishment as you achieve smaller and intermediate goals.

The prophet Zechariah warns us "do not despise the day of small things" (4:10).  The Psalmist proclaims, "The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad" (118:24).  And the apostle Paul tells us to "Rejoice always!  Again I will say, 'Rejoice!'" (Phil 4:4).  The point being that it is not someday when that something big happens that we should allow ourselves to celebrate.  We ought to be celebrating every day along the way.

It is not in the accomplishing of goals God sets in our hearts alone but in every step of the journey as we humbly and obediently serve God along the way in small and big things.  The joy of the journey's end can be found just as much in the getting there as in having got there and to miss that part leaning forward, living in the future, we miss the joy of today and diminish the joy of tomorrow. Jus' Say'n.