It is easy to forget where we have come from and where we are going in a world that distracts and preoccupies us so easily.
A pilot once found that some of the instruments in his plane had suddenly stopped working. He lost his bearings and was not able to tell where he was heading. He managed to contact a control tower on the ground, and when asked to give his position so that they could direct him to the nearest airport, he replied, “I don’t know, but wherever I am headed, I am making it in good time!”
The pilot knew he had speed, but he had lost his sense of direction. How true this is of so many people today. Life moves quickly, but people have lost their inner direction.
They have forgotten where they are headed and what their ultimate end would be. They know how to use their clocks, but what is the point if they have lost their compass? The world is a spiritual wilderness where it is easy to get lost without a moral and spiritual compass to guide us and point us in the right direction.
There are many who have never thought seriously about their final destination. They are quite happy to fill life with small goals, like what to buy, where to go for a holiday, what car to drive, and what clothes to wear. But these will amount to nothing if the big journey and goal in life are forgotten.
The Lord Jesus once told His listeners, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31–33).
If you have the big purpose in life clear, all the little goals will fall into place. Without the big picture, it is so easy to lose your way. It is possible that some start well, knowing where they are heading, but the pleasures of life, the entertainments along the way, and all the attendant worries and anxieties eventually draw them off their original path. They have lost their way and forgotten their ultimate destination.
There is always hope. If you have lost your way or neglected your ultimate destination, you can always do something about it. Return to God. People are urged to “Give careful thought to your ways” (Haggai 1:5,7).
Jesus taught that our ultimate destination is the heavenly Father’s house (John 14:1–3). That ultimate destiny is possible only if we place our faith in Christ and learn to live in Him while we are on earth.
May we learn to say with Paul, “I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). This is the only destination that is worth living and dying for, the only one that offers eternal life. All others are dead ends.
Consider this:
God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. How will you keep your destination in sight? What are some difficulties or distractions you may face?
Excerpted and adapted from Growing Old Gracefully by Robert Solomon. © 2019 by Robert Solomon. Used by permission of Discovery House. All rights reserved.