Life is a Journey

   Some years ago the country music band Rascal Flatts recorded a song entitled, “Life is a Highway,” which was a big hit for them, and was subsequently used in the Disney movie, Cars.

   The song reflects that life is more like a journey than a destination. The words go like this:

   Life’s like a road that you travel on; When there's one day here and the next day gone; Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand; Sometimes you turn your back to the wind.

   The image of a journey is a common theme in scripture to depict our life with God. But many times we resist the time and the effort that is required in spirituality. We want quick fixes and instant gratification, like the t-shirt that says, “Give me patience, and give it to me right now!”

   On our better days, most of us recognize that life doesn’t work like that. It moves forward in fits and starts, limping and lurching forward a little at a time.

   I think that is why so many of Jesus’ parables have agrarian themes, like a farmer planting seed, or harvesting grain. It is true that those were themes that the common person in his day understood, but it is also true that life doesn’t come with instant answers. Sometimes things have to have a while to germinate and to grow.

   That is why I like the church calendar. I don’t mean the one on my desk that keeps my schedule, I mean the events of the church year that are celebrated by Christians all over the world, like Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Lent. They provide a certain pace to life, and help us put things in perspective.

   Lent, for example, sometimes gets a bad rap. People see it as a time to “give things up.” It’s a time for fasting and prayer, so some think of it as a morbid or depressing time in the church year.

   It’s true that Lent is a time of reflection and introspection, a time to think about the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, and how we, in turn, are going to live for him. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.

   This spring, during our adult Bible study on Wednesday evenings, we are looking at the cross, what it means, what it did, and how we ought to live our lives in the light of it. I know some folks would rather focus only on the joy, the peace, and the love of God, but there is a time for each (Ecc. 3:1,2).

   It is a great study to do through the season of Lent, to think about how Christ loved us to death. Literally. You can join us at 5:30 for dinner, or 6:00 for Bible study each Wednesday evening now through May. It may be a slow journey, but it will be one worth taking.