My aunt shared a story with me about a time,after college, when she was biking through Europe with a buddy and, upon entering the next town they were biking to, realized that her buddy was nowhere to be found. She had been so fixed on the goal of getting to the town she had literally left her friend "in the dust". What he said when he finally caught up with her has stuck with her ever since...and now has found a permanent place in my ponderings...he told her "Sharon, you are already there." In other words, my aunt was so focused on getting to the next town that it was like she was already there...and missed out on the actual biking and enjoying the trip.
The reason why that story resonates in my own heart is because often that is exactly how I live. I am very goal oriented and that is where my eyes seem to be steadfastly fixed. Then, once that goal is completed, I am on to the next goal and then the next...all the while, "life" is happening all around me and I often miss it completely or don't stop to enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed.
Yes, goals are good...and they are even talked about in the Bible...but not the way I might define goals. See, in the Bible, the goal is GOD, Christ-likeness, making it my aim to please the Lord and passionately pursue Him. Often my goals do not start and stop with Christ...they are about MY agenda, MY plans....and so much gets lost as I seek to pursue MY goals. Martha was rebuked by Jesus for that very thing and that rebuke echoes down through the years and pages of Scripture right to my very own heart.
I want to be "careful how I walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time" (Eph. 5), I want to "enjoy myself in all my labors in which I toil under the sun during the few years of my life that God has given me" (Eccl.5) and I want to truly "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). I want to live the way Jim Elliot lived who said "Wherever you are, be all there!" Each moment is a gift from God and I don't want to miss out on enjoying Him and His good gifts each step of the way!
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