So, i was sitting at one of the thousands of stop lights (hyperbole? maybe a little bit) which had imposed on my life in the last 45 minutes when i felt the sudden urge to honk my horn. This isn't the first time i'd felt this impulse, and i daresay it won't be the last. I know that honking at a light won't fix my problem, but it would certainly express my irritation. But why is it so frustrating when i find my path obstructed in any way for any amount of time? It is because i have somewhere i want to be; i have a goal. We are made to move. To not be content to be prevented from satisfying our desires and achieving our ambitions and dreams. And that determination spurs us on to overcome and succeed. We see this in every little and big thing in our lives. You want to go to a certain school but don't have the money or grades. It frustrates you. You want to go hang out with your friends but your parents won't give you permission. It frustrates you. You deeply love someone and want their best, but they are being unwise or selfish. It frustrates you. The same pattern emerges no matter where you look. And yet there is one area in which there appears to be a model breakdown.
As christians, we loudly proclaim that our goal is Jesus, and we believe with all our hearts that it's true. Yet we welcome every obstacle. So what if my instinct is to open my computer and click on the internet tab? So what if i don't have an instinct to open my bible or talk to Jesus? Those two are completely unrelated. So what if i get more excited about the prospect of a relationship than growing in the one i already have with the perfect Husband? So what if i get angrier when someone wrongs me by infringing on my freedom or my pride than i do when i wrong God? I would suggest to you that this isn't a model breakdown. I would suggest to you that, to be perfectly frank, if i am not frustrated by these obstacles, my goal is not Jesus. You are made to move. Do not sit at every stoplight, relishing it as though it were your destination. Let's learn to make our goal Jesus, and to be passionate about getting there.
