Tucked away in our subconscious mind is a picturesque vision -- we see ourselves on a continually long long trip across our vast nation. We are riding on a train. As we look out the big windows we see -- cars whizzing by on the nearby highways, children waving at the crossings, cattle grazing on the distant hillsides, the flatlands and the valleys, the lakes and the rivers, the rolling hills and the rugged mountains, the small towns and the city skylines. The rich colors of the Fall, the snows of the Winter, the green of the Spring, and the sunny Summer.
But uppermost in our mind is our final destination. We know on a certain day a t a certain time we will arrive at the station and that will be it -- happiness with abound. how restlessly we pace the aisles cursing the minutes and counting the miles --
waiting -- waiting -- waiting to get the station.
The day finally arrives. Anticipation is high as we see ourselves pulling into the station. But wait -- something is wrong. The station disappears right before our eyes. We can't believe it. Then suddenly we realize we have been deceiving ourselves all along. It really wasn't the station after all, the station was only an illusion in our mind's eye and it has mysteriously vanished down the tracks out of sight. It wasn't winning the Championship, or getting the diploma at graduation, or becoming 21, or the new car, the new house, or getting the big promotion and pay raise. It wasn't really any thing. The secret is -- it is in the trip itself. The genuine joy of life is in the process of living. There is no one place to arrive at once and for all.
Psalm 118:24 says it all -- "Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." We must really learn to do just that. It isn't that we have a good day, we must learn to make it a good day. It isn't the burdens of today that causes us to lose our enthusiasm and zest for living. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fears of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves that would rob us of our joy today.
We need to choose to make each day a good one.
So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Learn to enjoy the daily challenges in the marketplace: take ordinary things in life and make something out of them, develop a deeper relationship with family and friends, enjoy God's handiwork through nature and His creation. Go hug a tree, go barefoot more often, walk more beaches, watch more sunsets, yes, even more sunrises, eat more ice cream, sing more songs, even if we're off key, and be sure to laugh more --
for laughter is the sunshine of our souls.
Life should be lived as we go along. It's the trip and not the destination that is important. The goal is not at the end of the road -- the goal is the road. It's not counting the days -- it's making the days count. It's looking and seeing more -- it's listening and hearing more, it's loving and sharing more. It's living each day of our lives to the fullest -- experiencing the genuine joy of the trip. -- ALL ABOARD!! |
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