Road Trip
Road trip! Sounds like fun, right? Get packed. Make your playlist. Collect your snacks. Gas up the car. Enter the destination in your smart phone map application. We all know the drill.
Fast forward 5 hours. You’re rolling down the highway and you’ve been through the playlist twice. The snacks are gone and you’re getting restless. The scenery starts to look the same. Hey, I thought this was going to be fun?
Except this is not just any road trip. Jackson Browne said it like this:
“Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In ’65 I was seventeen and running up 101
I don’t know where I’m running now, I’m just running on”
What’s My Destination?
One of the things that gets me up in the morning is knowing I have a purpose. I get out of bed, make coffee and go through my routine. I get on the train and head for downtown Chicago. I get to the office and work on a great team that builds cool websites for clients. The next day I get up and do it all again.
I love my job and most days it’s a lot of fun, but that’s not my purpose. I happen to be a middle-aged guy, but no matter where you are in life I think you can relate to what Jackson Browne is saying. The road is rushing under your wheels. And you are running. We’re all running. One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is, ‘Where am I running to?’ Another way to look at this question is, ‘What was the destination I entered in the smart phone when I started the road trip?’
We’re All Running
If you can answer that question, great! When you know where you’re going in life it seems that a lot of the other stuff falls into place. Knowing your destination saves you from the stress of making countless small decisions about what to do. If you don’t know where you’re going you’ll still arrive somewhere, but you may not be happy with the outcome. George Harrison wrote, ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.’ True, but not exactly words to live by.
I’m on a faith journey that has a final destination of my Father’s house. The destination is actually a person and a place. My relationship with Jesus is what guides my road trip and helps me to stay focused on my priorities like family, community and job. Maybe your destination is different than mine. Maybe you haven’t given it much thought lately. Either way, we have much in common. We share the same challenges, struggles and joys. We are all on a road trip together. We’re all running.
Jackson Browne continues…
“Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don’t know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too
Running on – running on empty
Running on – running blind
Running on – running into the sun
But I’m running behind”
What are You Hungry For?
One of the biggest challenges on a road trip is knowing where and when to stop. Your car needs gas. You need to fuel up with more snacks or maybe even a meal. Hunger pangs come and go until you satisfy them. Our physical needs are a kind of reflection of our spiritual and emotional needs. There’s a hunger deep inside of us to love and to be loved. We need meaningful relationships. We want to know our life has purpose.
We know that when the car needs gas we can only go so far before our road trip comes to a screeching halt. But what about our spiritual and emotional needs? How long can we keep running on empty? It seems that many of us try to see how far we can go without getting our tank re-filled. Sure, we can keep pushing forward, but it’s very likely we’re not all that happy.
Jesus said it this way, ‘Happy are those who hunger and thirst for what’s right for they will be satisfied.’ (See Matthew 5:6) He seems to be saying we’ll be happy if we have an appetite for the right things in life. What’s that all about?
Golden Rule
I find I’m most happy when I’m expressing love for God and for the people around me. When my priorities are right I’m at peace in all my relationships. My focus is outward, not inward. Some people call this living by the golden rule.
But when I spend most of my time and energy looking out for number one I’m the least happy. I may experience some degree of satisfaction, but it doesn’t seem to last. You’d think that pursuing your own wants and pleasures would lead to happiness, but it does not.
When a crowd had gathered around him one day, Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst.’ He later added, ‘You shouldn’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose.’ (See John 6:27, 35)
Get a Life!
Back to the road trip. It seems we’re talking about more than food. Food may keep you alive, but it can’t give you life. It’s been said that all people die, but not all people truly live. Deep down we all have a desire to feel fully alive. To enjoy life with family, friends and coworkers. Jesus said, ‘My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.’ (John 10:10)
Jackson Browne expressed the way many of us feel when he talked about how crazy this life feels. When he looked around for support he noticed that all his friends were running too. Are you running on empty? Sometimes that’s the way I feel. Pulling off the road to fuel up may offer temporary relief from your hunger pangs, but what you do when the hunger pangs come back?
Take time to reflect on your destination. Where is your road trip taking you? You need to know. If you don’t like the destination, now is the time to make a course correction. Relationships are what matter. You have a Father who loves you with a crazy love. Take time to get to know him. And if you feel like you’re running on empty you need to get re-fueled. Take time to get connected and stay connected with God and other people who share your values. It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel when your focus goes beyond simply meeting your own needs. When your life is full you’ll have more to give away.
You don’t have to keep running on empty. You were never meant to live that way. Get a life and then really live it!
Copyright 2014 John H Briggs
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