Right now Dave and I are getting ready to head out on another adventure. We’ve spent the last couple of days getting everything ready.
The camp site is reserved and the 5th-wheel is packed. I have double checked the list making sure I have all the food and clothing items we think we’ll need. Dave has completed his outside checklist; tires, generators, wood, extra fuel, vehicle maintenance, etc. We’ll be heading out this morning.
There’s an excitement that comes with preparation and even more once we arrive but to be honest I sometimes forget to enjoy the journey. Many times I am still working (on my computer or phone), making sure I have a everything done so that I can enjoy myself once we get there. Dave, on the other hand, takes it all in. “Look at this…did you see that”?
What a wake up call I got this morning when I heard the Lord whisper in my ear “Enjoy the journey, Kristi”.
And then…my thoughts went to Mary.
Did she enjoy the journey? She couldn’t have been all that comfortable; riding a donkey, camping along the way. Were her thoughts so consumed with the arrival at their destination and the arrival of her child that she lost sight of the wonder of the trip? None of us would have blamed her if she did.
“So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. It was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. 5 Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry him. (She was now pregnant.)” Luke 2:4-5 ERV
As a first-time mother, I imagine she kept all that was happening in her heart. I know I can still recall the last few days of my pregnancies. I remember going to Dairy Queen, grocery shopping, vacuuming the floors and watching Monday night football. It was all part of the journey, part of my childrens’ stories.
Mary had so much to take in. A road trip, a crowded city, searching for a place to stay, labor, the stable surrounding her, the support of Joseph, the birth, the Child and the words of the shepherds. Mary didn’t receive any special treatment; no one other than Mary and Joseph knew that her baby was the Messiah.
“So they went running and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the feeding box. 17 When they saw the baby, they told what the angels said about this child. 18 Everyone was surprised when they heard what the shepherds told them. 19 Mary continued to think about these things, trying to understand them.” Luke 2:16-19 ERV
Her journey wasn’t easy. The way was rough. Friends and family didn’t understand she was the virgin who would give birth to the Saviour. But she had started this journey by being obedient to the Lord and she would finish it with the same resolve.
Are we enjoying our journey or are we only focused on the final destination?
Each day the Lord lays a path before us. We can look at the beauty and opportunity in each day or we can complain about the distractions, interruptions and hardships. The choice is ours!
“My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. 3 After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 CEB
Let’s make sure we take time to enjoy our journey!