12/13/18 WHAT A WONDERFUL JOURNEY
A PERSONAL REFLECTION (shared with you)
In the mid 1970s my dad and I were going to take a trip together. I would fly out of Cleveland, Ohio, he would fly out of Eastern North Carolina and we would meet in the part of Southern California, which had been our home in the 1950s. I was going to a Church Growth conference and asked daddy if he wanted to spend some time together in our former community. It would be a father/son time, but also it would have been great spiritual time.
I sat onboard the delayed plane in Cleveland until the flight was cancelled because of a major snow storm. (it was so bad that it took me longer to get to my house across town than it would have taken me to get to the west coast.) We never made that trip together. We never made any trip together after that. I gave it my best shot, but for whatever reasons, it did not happen. I did have opportunities in the following years to spend time with daddy and tell him more about the gospel. Daddy was a great guy, but a late adopter of the gospel. I miss him this morning. I would have liked to have made this spiritual journey with him...
ANYWAY...
I was talking to a professional man this week about a Christian ministry that he and his 20 something year old daughter are interested in. I suggested to him that they should take a short mission trip together. I guess that is one of the things that started me thinking about daddy this morning (2:20 AM). I would have loved to have gone to far away places with him, sharing the light of the Gospel. I remember the few times he jumped in and helped with setting up the furnishings for Anchor Christian Academy. I remember a lot of other events and activities we did together, especially when I was young.
I remember doing things with my children and grandchildren. I have not been able to do all that I wanted to do, but you would not believe the number of awesome things we have done. Sadly, we don't always get to travel the same journey (sad beyond words), and sometimes we don't get to jump in and work on the same projects or do the same work, because we are in different locations.
I remember the amusement parks, the ball games, the conferences, the camps, the vacations, the beaches, the concerts, the cross country travels. But when we are not on the same journey (even if it is because we are in different geographical places from one another), my heart is broken. I have given my best and taught to the best of my ability and endeavored to remain faithful all these years, in order to make sure we all get to the same destination. But sometimes there are changes that take us in different directions; not the weather, not our schedules, not our finances, but our direction, our vision, our commitments. How sad when people start out on the same journey, but something, somehow, somewhere diverts someone's course.
I have tons of stuff to say, but I will end this post with this thought. We can't choose the destination or course for others. Sadly, sometimes they won't choose the right course for themselves. We may spend a lifetime separated from one another, only to spend eternity away from each other. We cannot help what others will do, but we can determine what we will do. I encourage you to walk as closely to God as you can, to love as much as you can, to be as faithful to Him as you can. Hopefully those loved ones who are taking the wrong course will see it before it is too late. If you are one of those on the wrong course, make your course correction now. Join your loved ones on this wonderful journey. Time is short. Don't miss your opportunity, don't shirk your responsibility. A great adventure awaits those who follow Jesus.
