Our Journey (looking back)
Paul went to Spain in 1998 and, because I was single, I used the title “Paul’s Journeys” for my newsletters. I liked it a lot because it made a reference in my mind to the great apostle Paul and his famous missionary journeys described in the book of Acts. That Paul also had a dream of going to Spain (see Romans 15:22-24) and may have gotten there; although, we can’t be sure. So, if he was not able to go in the 1st Century A.D., at least I was. Then, when I was blessed with a wonderful wife, I could no longer use “Paul’s Journeys”. That meant that I needed a new title for OUR newsletters that could be a little more inclusive and describe well who we are and what we are doing.
Ellie and I love to travel, and we meet many people while we travel. I have some good friends who I met while bicycling in Ireland in the summer of 1997. A couple years later I went to visit them in northern Germany and met a brother who has visited us in Spain a few times. This kind of thing happens more frequently these days until it seems that most of the people I know I have met on the way to somewhere else!
That is how God brings people into our lives. It doesn’t mean that we should wander aimlessly through life expecting God to fill it with purpose or letting chance control our relationships and activities. It does mean that God loves to surprise us with good things and that He uses opportune moments and meetings to teach and sometimes redirect us. If we do not have a destination, how will we ever arrive anywhere?
My mom often quotes from Genesis 24:27: And he said, “Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
So, where is our journey taking us next? We plan to make a difference in our world and expect God to bring those people into our life that He chooses to help us, challenge us, and teach us. Where are you hoping to go today?