Following Jesus will take you places you never dreamed of. He has a plan and most of the time He shares it with us on a “need to know” basis. In other words, when you need to know He will share what you need to know at the exact moment you need to know it. He rarely unveils more than a snippet or snapshot because our tendency is either to freeze up in fear or hijack the whole thing like it was our idea in the first place. Just relax—the journey we are experiencing is as important as the ultimate destination we will one day encounter.  The eternal and abundant life of Christ does not begin in heaven but is realized at all points along our daily walk.

This passage we’re booked on has been designed to fit us for eternity by stripping away everything that weighs us down or hinders us along the way. We all have baggage, both good and bad, that is unnecessary both now and in the future. The sheer weight of this spiritual and emotional luggage always crushes our desire to dream the dreams God has imprinted in the DNA of our spirits. One thing is for certain; a moment is coming when the Lord will point to that backpack of junk we’re lugging around and guide each of us to the appropriate dumpster for its dispatch. In these instants you either dump it or redistribute the load. Sadly, most of us want to repack, rearrange, refurbish, or recycle the contents rather than ditch it in God’s garbage can. This refusal to abandon always results in another lap around the track. The more laps we take the heavier the junk in our truck becomes. Either you leave it behind or you discard a divine dream.

This journey also enhances our abilities of perception—what we see and hear. Our walk with Jesus is designed to build relationship through the ebb and flow of the experiences we encounter along the way. These are fraught with hardships and stresses that should force us to stop, look, and listen. If we do this we learn to hear what the Father is saying and see what He is doing. Jesus did this, and He expects us to follow His example. And let’s face it—that’s what this little trip is all about. Somewhere along the way we either become familiar with the tenor of His voice and the gentleness of His touch and intimacy develops or blindness and deafness overcome our senses and we wander aimlessly enjoying ourselves with the sights instead of the Savior.

All of us are situated somewhere—someplace in this excursion called life. Perhaps you’re running laps on weary legs around a garbage can wondering why the scenery never seems to change. Perhaps you are looking at the sights through dark sunglasses with your ear buds tuned into the mind-numbing jam of a world bent on separating you from your Guide and don’t even realize it. Perhaps you are so fixated on eternity that you are missing the opportunity to be the hands and heart of God to the people He has placed in your path. Perhaps your hearing and eyesight is becoming more acute with each step you take. Perhaps you are overwhelmed with the love and grace of a God who would walk with you step by step and pick you up and brush you off whenever you stumble and fall. Perhaps you’ve tuned into His voice and are exhilarated with everything you are encountering, especially the beauty of His presence.

You must determine the “perhaps” that best fits you and adjust accordingly. Check your GPS. This trip could be a long one or it could be over in a moment. Don’t waste a moment.