When Will We Get There?

We were driving to Denver a few weeks ago and the kids kept asking, “Mom… are we there yet?”

I know EVERY ONE of you have experienced that question before.  It has come out of the mouths of every child on the planet at least a kablillion times by the age of 10.

That question usually evolves to, “Wheeeeeen will weeee get theeeeeere?” (Reread that in a drawn-out, whiney kid voice.)  Yes?

Sisters, we can totally relate to their frustration from the journey, because sometimes we wonder when we’ll ever get… there.

• When will we feel good about the way our bodies look?
• When will we be able to afford “that?”
• When will our marriages be fulfilling?
• When will we completely forgive those people?
• When will we be the moms we really want to be?

I wonder what you would add to that list?

Because we live in such a microwave society… because we want it all now… we don’t enjoy the process.  We don’t appreciate the journey.

The truth is, however, that the things we learn along the way are key to finding success at your destination point.

When Wayne and I were clawing our way back into a functioning marriage, I remember praying for instantaneous healing and restoration.  Being in so much pain, I just wanted the problems to go away.

But had God restored us right then and there, we would have missed so much good stuff, like:

• learning positive ways to communicate the good and the bad
  
• seeing forgiveness become an option again
• becoming tender when seeing each others brokenness

And if I hadn’t had the time and opportunity to take that intimate peek into my husband’s world, nothing would have changed in our situation and divorce would have been certain.

I’m so grateful that God allowed the journey to be thorough.  It was valuable and necessary.

Listen, we don’t want to get “there” too quickly because we may miss the chance to gather skills and gain understanding along the way.  That’s important insight we need to live and love better.

But one thing is for sure… God will complete in us what He is doing.  Check this out.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)

In this verse, Paul is describing what Christian growth and maturity will look like once we become believers.  It’s a process that will last until we see Jesus.

Did you catch that?  It will last for our entire lives.  While we will make huge strides and grasp some difficult concepts along the way, we will be a work in progress our entire lives.

Perfection is unattainable, so let it go.  That should free you.

You see, He loves us too much to leave us where we are and luckily doesn’t expect us to be all that and a bag of chips.

So, when will we get there?  Well…

• every trial we face head on,
• every hardship we overcome,
• every struggle we work through,

… gets us one step closer.

And that’s good enough for me.

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