“3,000 miles????”

February 7, 2008
Thursday

Read Romans 12

“How many miles before we’re done?” I asked. “About 3,000 over the next 12 days” was the answer. That meant many hours of traveling in our van. Some days we’d drive for at least six hours. It was long. However, along the way we’d see something amazing—a mountain range, a tree standing alone in a field, a family sitting outside their simple home. We’d walk on the very road where Paul and others would have walked. At the beginning, the journey seemed almost overwhelming. By the time we arrived in Istanbul, I wished we could have seen more.
This season of Lent is a long one. Today is may seem that Easter is a long, long way off. However, the object of Lent is not the destination, but rather the road to get there. If we have made commitments to fast, to give up something, to begin a spiritual discipline, let us not get caught up in the view that says “How much longer” but rather may we be on the look out for amazing things that we’ll see and experience along the way.
In reference to today’s reading, for most of us, we won’t suddenly be transformed by the renewing of our mind but rather it will be a deliberate and possibly slow process. However, once we get to that point, I believe we’ll want to continue on. With Christ, the tour doesn’t end in one spot but rather we can go as far as God leads us, and we will follow.
Are we ready for the journey? Can we see the beauty along our path? It’s time to look because we’ll get there soon enough!