Almost There

On a recent trip a family member called and asked, "Where are you?"  I replied, "I'm almost there."  Not really because I was stuck on the loop in Atlanta creeping tin bumper to bumper traffic trying to get to the I-85 ramp.  As I cleared Atlanta I thought about those three words:  I'm almost there.  Isn't that where a lot of us seem to be?

We're never quite there, we have yet to arrive and we say we are almost there.  But the truth is that almost isn't really there.  Kind of like, we almost won the game.  I almost made that putt.  He almost got the job.  We almost got hit by a storm.

The definition of almost includes: very nearly, but not exactly, or entirely.  Almost isn't a bad place to be, but too often we are willing to settle for it and never arrive.  Think about it:  We start a workout routine/diet, but we never quite finish.  We vow to be better about our time with God and His Word, but it gets pushed out by other things.  We say we will spend more time with our family, but we continue to work like a dog.  We promise to get help with emotional problems and even admit that meeting with a counselor would be a good idea, but we never quite make it.  The scenarios are endless for almost there.

In the gospels Jesus and the disciples seem to be in a constant state of almost there.   Undoubtedly His journey with the disciples is more about them and us in terms of lessons to be learned.  However, when we get to the end of the story we find a huge arrival.  He arrives at God's glory through his death, burial and resurrection.  The disciples make the journey with Jesus, but they don't arrive when He does.  Many are still questioning, doubting, searching and struggling with the idea of a kingdom built on poverty, sacrifice and service.  However, their journey is just getting started and they finally arrive, just read the book of Acts.

Jesus' arrival is the beginning of humanity's journey.  He paved the way and showed us that life must be lived through Him if we are going to pursue God (John 14:6).  We shortchange the Gospel when we think we've arrived at our destination at the moment of salvation.  The trip is just beginning.

Remember, He calls us to follow.  The implication is that we are going somewhere great and the journey is about our growth and finding ways to glorify and serve God as we travel.  It's a missional journey with countless stops along the way.  The road is not always smooth, in fact, when we are really following the road is rough, steep, winding, and long.  And we act surprised!  He told us it wouldn't be an easy journey (John 12, John 15, Matthew 10:16ff).

Almost there can be good/bad it depends on the road we are traveling.  If we settle for almost there we can become self-satisfied and delude ourselves into thinking we don't need to continue.  However, almost there can also be: on the way, keeping pace, striving ahead and straining forward.  Paul understood almost there probably more than most.  He wrote:  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).

Happy travels and remember every day means we are a little further along on the journey and we are almost there.