Enjoy the Ride!

May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. 1 Peter 5:10-11 (NKJV)

I feel confident that every parent that has ever taken a child on a long trip or journey has been asked the following question, "When are we going to get there?" A good parent will patiently explain the amount of time necessary to reach the destination, but as the hours and the miles pass, the child grows weary of the process and again they ask, "When are we going to get there?" It probably does not matter how well you explain the process of miles and time--as long as you continue the journey the question will continue to be asked. Children simply do not have enough understanding to grasp the concept.

Are we like that with God? We bombard Him with questions (prayer requests) and He answers us patiently, and we act as if He did not answer us, at least not according to what we wanted to hear, so, we pose the question (I mean prayer request) once again. Often the problem in our communication with God does not lie in either the question or the answer, rather in our inability to grasp the concept or a lack of correct perspective. Here is the straight scoop: Wherever you find yourself on God's journey--whether in the middle of great blessing or fiery trials--you have not yet arrived at the final destination.

Ultimately, Believers in Christ have been called to participate in "His eternal glory by Christ Jesus." Our destination is to rule with Christ who will have both "glory and dominion forever and ever." In the meantime...we are sojourners in this life. There is a bit of discomfort, but God is actively doing a work whereby we are being perfected--established--strengthened and finally, settled. It is a good trip...it is a great trip...may as well relax and enjoy the ride!

Prayer: "Dear Father, blessed by You name! I do look forward to the day when my journey is over; However, I do not have a death wish, so help me to run the race with endurance while rejoicing in the joy of life. I realize that not every life experience is pleasant, but I am confident that You are perfecting Your work in me. Thank you for loving me enough to patiently shape me into a better version of myself. May I ultimately be a useful tool in Your Kingdom. Amen"