We’re on a journey. It has a beginning, middle, and end. It’s a process.

God has a plan and the pattern is Christ Jesus. The goal is to become like Christ. You will never understand your journey until you understand your destination. Knowing your destination, where you’re going, gives you an interpretation and an explanation of your journey. If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter where you are – you won’t understand the trip.

God says He is taking all of us somewhere as a family. Nothing is wasted in God. He has already decided your destination; you are to become like Jesus. To what degree, is up to you – it’s a choice.

As an example, serving as a marketing consultant I was invited to go to Boston on a business trip. As the crow flies, Boston is hundreds of miles northeast of Texas. But to get to Boston, I first had to drive southwest to Midland, board a westbound plane headed to Dallas, and finally, board another plane headed northeast to Boston. If all I was concerned about was the immediate direction, I would have thought I was off-course when headed opposite of my desired destination. But I was at peace because I knew my final destination.

Similarly, God may be taking you in a direction today that appears to be off-course, but in fact, is exactly right on course in His “big picture” scheme of things.

As another example, if I were to take a 2,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, toss it into the air, and after it landed all over the floor, asked you to put it together without having the picture, you would soon become frustrated, disappointed, and eventually, quit. Unlike the jigsaw puzzle, God has given us the picture of what we’re supposed to look like – Jesus. That’s who we’re supposed to look like when the puzzle is all put together. It’s a process.

Understanding Your Destination Helps Interpret The Process
If you don’t know where you’re headed, you will become frustrated and soon think of yourself as a victim and that God does not love you. The fact is is that you will find yourself in storm after storm on your journey. Storms are not setbacks. They’re opportunities for growth. The principal is that just because you’re walking in Christ does not mean that you won’t be in a storm. Storms are wake-up calls. The truth is, you’re either coming out of a storm, in a storm or headed into one. And there will always be storms. The Bible says:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2)

The Bible doesn’t say if you face trials, but whenever you face them. Jesus’ half brother, James, writes that you will have trials and that it is possible to profit from them. The point is not to pretend to be happy when you face pain, but to have a positive outlook (“consider it pure joy”) because of what trials can produce in your life. James tells you to turn your hardships into times of learning. Tough times can teach you perseverance. The power of holiness comes only in the fire of holiness.

You can’t really know the depth of your character until you see how you react under pressure. It’s easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can you still be kind when board members, other leaders, clients, and staff are treating you unfairly? God wants to make you mature and complete, not to keep you from all pain. In fact, God is not covenant bound to make you happy, but to make you a disciple (check out every instance of those called disciples in the New Testament and see their outcome).

Instead of complaining about your struggles, you should see them as opportunities for growth. Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times. Ask him to help you solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems; he will stay close and help you grow.

Live Christ Deliberately!
Doug Morrell