When I was a kid, I was in the Boy Scouts. Wasn't in there long, but, was a Scout nonetheless. I loved the camping, the Jamborees, and the hikes and so on.
I remember one time in particular when we went somewhere on a hike and a night of camping. Don't remember where it was. Our destination was a waterfall up in the mountains where ( we were told) an old Indian Village once stood. It was quite a hike so we packed our gear and food and left very early in the morning for our destination. It was a beautiful hike. Towering trees, abundant wildlife, flowering plants, incredible beauty all around. In looking back, it seems as if God Himself had walked that very trail one day and dropped His blessings along the way for us to find. But, we didn't- we were too busy trying to get THERE to notice. All but one of us missed much of what God left for us.
One kid, can't recall the name, was what we called a lagger. He would poke along, and hold us up. We wanted to get THERE, but we had to stop and wait for this lagger. He would stop and look at everything. A moss covered stump, a squirrel, a flower (of all things). The words "Hurry up!" echoed through the ridges more times than I can count. He'd always answer "Hey, look at this". We didn't want to see no dumb rock, or flower or plant. We wanted to get THERE. He seems to have seen everything on the trail. We saw nothing but THERE. He saw everything, we saw nothing. He experienced the journey, we endure it to get THERE. Come to think of it, I guess we stayed mad at the "lagger" for most of the trip, which is likely why we missed so much along the way.
Heaven is our destination. "Everybody will be happy over THERE". WE are so intent on getting THERE that we forget the journey is a part of THERE. The Bible refers to the Christian journey as one of
"joy unspeakable and full of glory". Yet, we get so caught up in getting THERE that we forget all about the incredible joys and blessings God has scattered along our trail. Love one another, helping those in need, praying in solitutude with the Lord, worshipping Him in the beauty of holiness, studying His Word, and just...well, just walking with Him as Adam did in the cool of the day, are some of the things that are, in fact, "joy unspeakable", and oh, yes, the Christian jouney is so "full of Glory". God has promised that if we'll just stick to the trail, He'll provide innumerable blessings along the way. Do yourself a favor and notice what God has left along your trail:
Deu 28:1 ¶ And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
Deu 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Deu 28:3 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the field.
Deu 28:4 Blessed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deu 28:5 Blessed [shall be] thy basket and thy store.
Deu 28:6 Blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out.
Deu 28:7 ¶ The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
Deu 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 28:9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
Deu 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Deu 28:11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
Deu 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them]:
Wow. Those blessings aren't just for a people of long ago, but they are for anyone who will watch obediently for them along their path thru life. Oh, we might have to climb over some rocks or skirt around some logs along the way, but, in our quest for THERE, all these blessings are ours to enjoy.
So, I want to make heaven my home. I wonder sometimes how far it is...if I'm ever gonna get there. But you know, going THERE is a part of being THERE. Maybe we should slow down and enjoy the journey more. Look around you right now. Is there something you can see right now that you consider a blessing? Your spouse? Children? A gift from a friend? A ceramic pig looks down at me right now- a gift from a friend. A blessing. Part of my journey. Today, and everyday, we should be enjoying our journey to THERE. Every blessing along the way that we notice and appreciate will, in my opinion, make being THERE so much sweeter.
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