What lies downstream
Yesterday as I was getting ready to pray, I started to wonder what I would blog about this weekend. It'd been raining here for the better part of 5 days so I didn't get any gardening done and the weather this morning is still overcast and isn't conducive to photo-taking. As I stood there washing my arms, I thought about what I wrote last week about how we have a plan and how God has plans and I was again reminded of something.
It seems like I've always been encouraged to make goals and plans for my future, that's what we're supposed to do. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I think sometimes we get so caught up in choosing a goal and then feeling like we are stuck trying to attain that goal that we sometimes get there the wrong way. If we get there the wrong way, then doesn't that mean we're actually in the wrong place? If we set up goals for ourselves that cause us to... neglect our families, take what's not ours, live against our principles or worse yet, live in denial... then is it worth it? Does the end justify the means? The answer is "no". The means are the important part. It's not the destination, it's the journey. It's not where you end up, it's how you got there that matters.
So I was reminded that while I have things I would like to see in my life or in the world, it's better for me to focus on each step instead of the final destination. The destination will take care of itself if I just take each step with care and intention. I think that's what faith is all about. If you do the right thing, you believe in this unseen force that will guide you to end up in the right place. Or better said: wherever you end up, it IS the right place. If I live according to my principles, wherever I am, that's where I should be.
But I'm not saying you just stop paddling and just simply go with the flow. Not at all. I still plan to steer my vessel, steer away from dangerous rapids, and towards pretty scenery. But I can't predict the current and I'm definitely not foolish enough to try to row upstream.
It seems like I've always been encouraged to make goals and plans for my future, that's what we're supposed to do. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" I think sometimes we get so caught up in choosing a goal and then feeling like we are stuck trying to attain that goal that we sometimes get there the wrong way. If we get there the wrong way, then doesn't that mean we're actually in the wrong place? If we set up goals for ourselves that cause us to... neglect our families, take what's not ours, live against our principles or worse yet, live in denial... then is it worth it? Does the end justify the means? The answer is "no". The means are the important part. It's not the destination, it's the journey. It's not where you end up, it's how you got there that matters.
So I was reminded that while I have things I would like to see in my life or in the world, it's better for me to focus on each step instead of the final destination. The destination will take care of itself if I just take each step with care and intention. I think that's what faith is all about. If you do the right thing, you believe in this unseen force that will guide you to end up in the right place. Or better said: wherever you end up, it IS the right place. If I live according to my principles, wherever I am, that's where I should be.
But I'm not saying you just stop paddling and just simply go with the flow. Not at all. I still plan to steer my vessel, steer away from dangerous rapids, and towards pretty scenery. But I can't predict the current and I'm definitely not foolish enough to try to row upstream.
posted by Just Ruthie at 7:12 AM
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