"There"

Are we there yet was the question,

We asked our Mom and Dad,

On the way to anywhere,

Sometimes it made ‘em mad.

If y’all ask it one more time,

We might not go at all,

And so we’d wait, then ask again,

Are we there yet, y’all?

I took my kids to Disney World,

We stood inside the gate,

My kids and I looked at the map,

And I just made ‘em wait.

You are here, it told us,

Marked by a little star,

How did they know, my son asked,

We had come very far.

“There” can be elusive,

The place we have in mind,

It’s sometimes not location,

We wonder if we’ll find.

But more about the way we feel,

The someday that we see,

Deep within our hearts and minds,

And wish would come to be.

The “there” that we imagine,

The hoping and the dream,

Has to do with how we feel,

And in the past have been.

God has promised vision,

Says without it we will die,

Living life with drudgery,

No goal for which to try.

“There” gives inspiration,

Puts passion in the day,

Helps us overcome the pain,

And strength along the way.

But then there is a caution,

To be driven is not good,

If we’re obsessed and can’t enjoy,

Each day the way we should.

It’s possible to have a dream,

But make yourself so sick,

All stressed out and on the run,

‘Cause on the way so quick.

The Lord says find the balance,

Of following His plan,

To anticipate His blessing,

Each day do what you can.

To not let “there” consume you,

But find the Spirit’s pace,

Knowing that the destination,

Is seeing Jesus’ face.

Are we there yet, a good question,

And one we say to Him,

Then listen for His answer,

Don’t let your vision dim.

Lord, in every season,

We give our dreams to You,

And each day seek the Kingdom,

We know you’ll see us through.

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us…” (Philippians 3:14, NLT)

Paul talked about pressing on to reach the heavenly prize. The end of the race is heaven, and heaven is not something that we earn through good works. It is received by grace through faith. However Paul took inspiration from the destination. His was a heavenly perspective on the daily race, and it gave him strength for the journey. That’s how vision is supposed to work. It inspires, motivates, encourages, and energizes us to keep on going, no matter what. It doesn’t “drive” us, it leads us, as the Spirit empowers us to live. The pace is determined by the Lord, and joy for the day to day. It’s a good time to remember that.

Lord, give us a heavenly focus, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Anton, billantonstudio.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.