Journey and Destination
I have a confession: I really love long car trips.
Most people hate sitting for prolonged periods of time...but I actually enjoy the rest of stretching out my legs and leaning back my chair.
Most people complain of boredom...but I am thankful for the freedom to do nothing.
Most people miss constant entertainment and resort to movies and ipad games...but I love hours of conversation, looking out the window and watching the different scenery pass by.
Most people are uncomfortable with silence...but I soak up the peace that comes with just sitting together with people you love.
The truth is, I just simply love long car trips. I love drifting in and out of meaningless and meaningful conversation. I love traveling and watching the scenery change from one place to the next. I love sunsets in rear view mirrors and putting my ipod on shuffle until the battery runs out. I love the silly memories that are made from playing ridiculous car games and how passengers become crazy and unreserved when they have been cooped up for too long. Some of my hardest laughter moments were the result of long car trips.
That's why the 18-hour trip to Melbourne, Florida, did not bother me a bit. After half a semester of nursing school, it was the much-needed journey that I needed to decompress. Anna and I enjoyed watching the state lines pass, humming along to our music, and gradually working our way through a bag of candy conversation hearts. Along the way, we discovered the beauty of wide open spaces, the simple pleasure of gas station stops, and the fascinating landscape of Chattanooga where we spent the night on Lookout mountain and marveled at the city lights below.
Needless to say, after 18 hours, the east coast and the Atlantic ocean were a glorious sight for our tired eyes. We pulled off the road just to peek out heads over the fence and get a glance of the ocean. The best part of long car trips is the arrival at the destination, but that destination wouldn't be near as sweet without the long journey to get there.
Maybe its just me, but it always seems to take a long time to get places. I think about my eating disorder and how quickly I wanted to arrive at healing. Right after I was diagnosed, I wanted to get well immediately so that I could run track that season. In reality, it took much more time than I wanted. And looking back, I am so thankful that God took me on that longer journey of discovering Him in my eating disorder. Even after I was released from the eating disorder clinic, it was years before I really felt like I had conquered my eating disorder. Even today, I still struggle with insecurity and the "compare snare" of comparing myself to others. I just want to arrive at my destination of contentment with self and secure identity in Christ. But then I remember how much I love long car trips. And how beautiful the destination is when the journey has been long.
So yes, it does take a long time to get places. It takes a journey to reach the destination - whether that destination is happiness, humility, freedom from addiction, peace that conquers anxiety, or moving on from loss. Just remember to press on in the journey. Plug in your music, hum along, and enjoy the passing of scenery and the sunsets in rear view mirrors. All this means that you are moving forward, closer to the next sunrise. God is with you as your travel companion and guide. You will pass mile markers one at a time until the shore is in view and the sand is between the toes.
Most people hate sitting for prolonged periods of time...but I actually enjoy the rest of stretching out my legs and leaning back my chair.
Most people complain of boredom...but I am thankful for the freedom to do nothing.
Most people miss constant entertainment and resort to movies and ipad games...but I love hours of conversation, looking out the window and watching the different scenery pass by.
Most people are uncomfortable with silence...but I soak up the peace that comes with just sitting together with people you love.
The truth is, I just simply love long car trips. I love drifting in and out of meaningless and meaningful conversation. I love traveling and watching the scenery change from one place to the next. I love sunsets in rear view mirrors and putting my ipod on shuffle until the battery runs out. I love the silly memories that are made from playing ridiculous car games and how passengers become crazy and unreserved when they have been cooped up for too long. Some of my hardest laughter moments were the result of long car trips.
That's why the 18-hour trip to Melbourne, Florida, did not bother me a bit. After half a semester of nursing school, it was the much-needed journey that I needed to decompress. Anna and I enjoyed watching the state lines pass, humming along to our music, and gradually working our way through a bag of candy conversation hearts. Along the way, we discovered the beauty of wide open spaces, the simple pleasure of gas station stops, and the fascinating landscape of Chattanooga where we spent the night on Lookout mountain and marveled at the city lights below.
Needless to say, after 18 hours, the east coast and the Atlantic ocean were a glorious sight for our tired eyes. We pulled off the road just to peek out heads over the fence and get a glance of the ocean. The best part of long car trips is the arrival at the destination, but that destination wouldn't be near as sweet without the long journey to get there.
Maybe its just me, but it always seems to take a long time to get places. I think about my eating disorder and how quickly I wanted to arrive at healing. Right after I was diagnosed, I wanted to get well immediately so that I could run track that season. In reality, it took much more time than I wanted. And looking back, I am so thankful that God took me on that longer journey of discovering Him in my eating disorder. Even after I was released from the eating disorder clinic, it was years before I really felt like I had conquered my eating disorder. Even today, I still struggle with insecurity and the "compare snare" of comparing myself to others. I just want to arrive at my destination of contentment with self and secure identity in Christ. But then I remember how much I love long car trips. And how beautiful the destination is when the journey has been long.
So yes, it does take a long time to get places. It takes a journey to reach the destination - whether that destination is happiness, humility, freedom from addiction, peace that conquers anxiety, or moving on from loss. Just remember to press on in the journey. Plug in your music, hum along, and enjoy the passing of scenery and the sunsets in rear view mirrors. All this means that you are moving forward, closer to the next sunrise. God is with you as your travel companion and guide. You will pass mile markers one at a time until the shore is in view and the sand is between the toes.
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