The Journey

I love reading stories about people on journeys, epic quests of great importance. You just know they’re going to learn so much along the way that it barely even becomes about the object of the quest anymore. I’ve just started re-reading Lord of the Rings, and think how boring the book (or the films, if you like) would be if the journey wasn’t important.  It would just skip to the end. 

Stories are almost all about journeys, and the way the journey affects the characters. I read The Hobbit before I started Lord of the Rings (do you see a theme developing here?), and Bilbo left on a hunt for treasure (and to prove himself to the random group of dwarves that turned up in his house) but ended up learning and changing considerably. And without coming back with a whole host of treasure. 

I’ve been discovering recently how important the journey is. I don’t necessarily mean a physical journey, although I’m pretty sure all the backpackers that are coming through Sydney right now are learning a lot from their experiences. Right now I’m a tad low on money. I’ve got more coming, but there’ll be a bit of a wait for it. And just in the interim I’ve had a lot of growing to do. 

For a start, all those verses about God being our provision, sufficient for us and all we need? Well, very, very, very, very slowly, I’m being taught to believe them. The verses about faith as small as a mustard seed, all the promises of God and His faithfulness… Yep, those need to get worked into my mindset too. 

I wish there was a way I could get all of this into my skull without living on just pasta, rice, bread, cheap vegetables and tiny portions of meat and still worrying about how long it’s going to last, but that’s entirely the point – I’m still worrying, and God knows that it won’t go through that spongy brain meat without a good deal of travelling. My mindset needs refreshing. A lot. A lot a lot. And a part of me keeps congratulating myself that I’m getting there, that I’ve learnt a lot, that I’m doing awesomely at this whole faith business, and SLOWLY I am learning. But I’ve got such a long way to go until I really “embrace the grace” (Casey Treat) and really take hold of all God’s promises for me. Because that doubt still creeps into my prayers. I’m still praying with a ‘God might’ perspective not a ‘God is HUGE ALMIGHTY GOD who LOVES me unendingly, DESIRES to bless me beyond my imagination and wants me to pray KNOWING who I’m praying to.'

And I am so blessed to be in this place, learning all this, laying a foundation for my life to come and being refined for the fire. I consider it pure JOY!