The Ride
“Are we there yet?” Youngsters whine with an annoying voice from the back seat. I’m not sure when the shift occurs, but eventually we learn to appreciate the drive. When we actually look out the window, vacations become substantially more enjoyable. As children, the sole focus is spent on the destination. Meanwhile, the beautiful sights along the way are overlooked and the journey becomes an endless and grueling process. A similar perspective shift occurs somewhere along the way of our spiritual formation.
As Christians, we can become fixated on the destination. Traditionally, the church has been far too preoccupied by making sure people find the “correct” destination. This happens so much that we ignore the spiritual journey required to authentically get there. If there is one thing I know about our relationship with God, it’s that it’s a journey. Our faith cannot be forced or hurried. A faith that is afraid of questions, and only deals with absolutes, is an immature kind of faith. Admiring the sights along the way of our trip is how we show adoration for God’s beautifully diverse creation. The differences in our humanity are not something to ignore, downplay, or be threatened by. Rather, learning about what makes us different is what demonstrates to God that we appreciate the world we’ve been given.
One major reason why I am tired of the Covid lifestyle is because I can’t handle the sameness. I long to hear new stories. I crave to be challenged by new voices. I want to be exposed to other perspectives beyond my own. It’s not about simply arriving at our spiritual destination. I strive to appreciate the journey filled with twists and turns. Truthfully, sameness sounds like a nightmare. The world is filled with millions of different cultures, races, religions, and stories. The more exposure that occurs with others, the more I come to know about how wonderfully expansive God truly is.
While our differences ought to be celebrated, it’s important to remember that we have far more in common with one another than not. Maya Angelo famously said, “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” Whether someone is Christian or not, religious or not, spiritual or not, we all have the journey in common. We may describe God differently, use different stories, and use different symbols, but we’re all on the same quest to find health, happiness, meaning, and love.
One of the characteristics about Jesus that we must relearn is how to share the Gospel in a way that meets people where they are. Whether we name it or not, we all have God’s Grace in common. God loves all people simply because all people are a part of God’s creation. Because God loves, we love. The call to live into our mission and to appreciate the gift of humanity is actually quite simple. Christ inspires us to love all people radically, abundantly, and without equivocation. “We love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Taking the scenic route,
Pr. Lucas McSurley
Photo by Simon Berger