Life has a great way of teaching us some very valuable lessons. For example, I learned at a young age that it’s not a good idea to feed a turtle out of your hand.  At a dumb age, I learned that it’s never a good idea (regardless of how large the dare) to pee on a hot wire fence.  I learned the fascinating way that you shouldn’t put aluminum foil in the microwave.  After I became a parent, I learned it’s not prudent to say “my kids will never do that” before you become a parent. And as a parent, I’ve learned that you should never tell your children things you don’t want other people to know.

Perhaps one of life’s great lessons that I’m currently learning is that it’s not necessarily as much about the destination as it it about the journey. In other words, it’s not just about where I want to be but the process of getting there and that the lessons learned along the journey are some of the most important to be learned. Honestly, the past three to six months have been a tough stretch for me. I want to be – THERE. But I’m – HERE. Have you ever been – THERE? I mean – HERE?

I’ve been reading through the story of how God’s people wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. A journey that should have only taken 11 days ended up taking 40 years. God please don’t make this journey I’m on last 40 years! I’ll take 11 days. Please and thank you! But what I’m discovering is that there were many valuable lessons that God taught them along the journey. It wasn’t as much about the destination as it was about the journey.

So, how do we make the most of the journey? Here’s some of what I’ve been learning:

Have a Picture of Where You Are Headed

God’s people were headed to the Promised Land. We are told multiple times in the story that it was a land flowing with milk and honey which literally means it was gushing with good things. They had been slaves in Egypt and they were now wandering in the wilderness but there was something much greater ahead – a land that was gushing with good things. Where is your promised land? What visions do you have? What dreams do you have? What goals do you have? It starts with a picture of where you are headed.

Stay Focused on Where You Are Headed

There were multiple times along the way God’s people lost sight of where they were headed. In fact, they often begged to return to Egypt. When they got hungry and thirsty in the wilderness they began to long for the good ole’ days when they had plenty to eat and drink back in Egypt. The problem was that the good ole’ days weren’t that good. They were slaves for crying out loud. But their present situation urged them to long for their previous situation and they lost sight of the promised land. Has that ever happened to you?

The next time you get in your car to drive somewhere, think about this (hopefully you are not driving while reading this!): Where do you spend the majority of your time looking while you are driving? Through the windshield or through the rear-view mirror? Of course you focus more on what’s ahead of you than what’s behind you! You occasionally glance in the rear-view mirror but you spend the majority of the time looking through the windshield. In the same way, it’s healthy to occasionally glance back at our past – it shapes us and is responsible for getting us to where we are. But it doesn’t have to determine where we are headed. We have to stay focused on what’s in front of us.

Pay Attention to the Landmarks Along the Way

Over 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, God sure did some incredible things. I mean, His people crossed through the Red Sea on dry land with the walls of the sea towering on either side of them. When they complained of being hungry, God brought them quail and rained bread down from heaven. When they were thirsty, they got water from a rock. They were lead by a cloud during the day which turned into a ball of fire at night – God’s literal presence. Those are some pretty amazing landmarks wouldn’t you say?

But I have to wonder if they missed it? I mean, the first few days you wake up with bread covering the ground has to be pretty awesome, right? But how many days did it take for it to just become the norm? Knowing that God’s literal presence is right outside your tent in a visible cloud and fire would be amazing, right? But at what point did it just become an expectation?

I have to wonder if I miss it at times? Where along the journey is God showing up and I miss Him? Where is He trying to teach me valuable lessons and I’m oblivious to them? Where is God working in your life right now – not in the destination but along the journey?

So whether our journey is 40 years or 11 days, may we have a picture of where we are headed, stay focused on that picture, and pay attention to the landmarks along the way!