Lenten Reflections: Our Journey is the Destination

Friday, Feb. 15

Lectionary passages:

By Matt Ford

Life is a journey, not a destination. I could find some manifestation of this maxim anywhere I turn. Advertising, music, film. Stories that remind me to focus on the present, to enjoy the simple things in life; the rest will work itself out.

Usually we only think of the journey when things get hectic—when we don’t have what we think we need. Time, money, experience. Sometimes I catch myself enjoying the journey. Preparing dinner, learning a language, or drawing. For a moment I notice the color of the vegetables, the fluidity of a foreign phrase, and the weight of a line across the page.

Why is it so difficult to live the journey? How do we know which journey is right for us? These questions come to mind as I read the passages. In Hebrews, we find a reassuring answer—our journey is the destination. Like a discipline, it is through our daily actions and our interactions with others that we grow closer to God. Gideon’s triumph shows that our journey is driven by faith and often met with resistance. In John, we also see that God is with us every step of the way.

As we enter Lent, it’s comforting to know that we have God’s grace. It shifts my thinking from outcome to process, and helps me focus more on being open to God. When our own notions of immediacy and necessity are put into perspective, we can live more abundantly through God.

Matt Ford is a member of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, in Washington, D.C. This post is reprinted, with permission,  from NYAPC's 2013 Lenten Meditations booklet.