The Journey - Day 3

 Journey: Day 3

Today was a bitter-sweet day. Time to move all the stuff. It is impossible to actually start over. You’re already alive, with many life experiences behind you. Good times, bad times, mundane times, stressful times, hurtful times, joyous times; a bank of memories which both sooth and haunt you. The reason for a restart is to attempt to separate yourself from the cause of pain and shame in order to experience peace and significance. There are also those you have harmed out of your own woundedness who remain fixed in your mind.

It is very easy to see how some would turn to things like drugs or alcohol to get immediate relief from the constant replay running through their brain. It is nearly impossible to shut it off. Vices only provide a temporary solution. Once the substance wears off, the replay begins. The only way to get lasting peace is to come to a place of reconciliation. This is not necessarily making peace with the individual or individuals involves. Sometimes this is impossible due to logistics or death. Using the concept of reconciling an account is more appropriate. You review the debits and the credits, attempting to determine if things balance out. Can you move forward with the way things stand between you. Perhaps there is something more you need to do before progressing.

For now, you pack up all the things you feel you will need to take on your journey. Traveling is not as easy as being stationary. You have to make some hard decisions about what goes and what stays. Some things you once thought were not optional lose their appeal because there is simply no room for them. Essential becomes preeminent. Only things that have utility go in the box.

There are already some things I miss, simply because I enjoyed knowing I had them. But when you are on a journey sentiment becomes the slave to necessity. Laser focus is required, because you don’t want to miss a thing. There may be milestones which need to be placed, like Ebenezer in the Old Testament, where in 1 Samuel 7:12, Samuel said, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” He then set a “stone of help” (ebenezer) to mark the spot. Some use the expression, “So far, so good.” It’s the same meaning. These markers become reminders that God is faithful. We are able to measure progress and growth as we begin moving toward the next destination, even if we have no idea where it is.