“Along The Journey”
Last Sunday night we talked about using our blinkers, you know, indicators of where we are intending to go. As Christians, it’s easy for us to know our desired destination, but if you’re anything like me on a road trip, you get distracted by all the fun things to see along the way, and soon, we flip on that turn signal and head somewhere we weren’t intended on going.
See, the devil can’t make you turn, he can’t make you change your path, only we can do that, but what the devil does do, he does well. If he can convince us that where we are heading is too far away, or too boring of a drive, we find it easier to be detoured by all the flashy, shiny, fun things he places along the way. And when we stop long enough, it makes it that much harder to get in the car and continue on our journey.
See, the thing is, when others see where we are indicating (using our blinkers) to go, sometimes they follow. For us as parents this means that our children are tagging along, learning all the places that we go. For our friends, this means that they see how we act, what’s important, or unimportant to us, and they follow as well. This is why Jesus tells us to ”let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). And also why Paul warns us about the company we keep “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33). We can influence but also be influenced.
Along this journey, we get to help others. Don’t be afraid to tell people where you’re going, they might want to go to. Don’t be afraid to help change a tire or two, we all need someone to lean on every now and then. And when someone runs out of gas, they’re just putting along, or they’ve stalled out, don’t be afraid to roll your sleeves up and get those hands dirty. One day we might need that same kind of help. The Bible tells us “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10). There’s always opportunity when you’re willing to look.
For those of us who proudly wear the name Christian, we know this journey is going to be a tough one… Tough because we know that sometimes the right answer means not getting to do the things or go the places our friends or family members are doing or going to, it means putting our desires aside, humbling ourselves to the will of God, and keeping our car heading to the ultimate destination. Heaven.
