You’ve heard it said: Walmart—watch out for falling prices.
But I tell you: Walmart—watch out for speeding Grandmas on motorized shopping carts.
A couple months ago Lyndsay and I found ourselves 1,635 miles into a 2,180 mile road trip.
Yeah, I know. Three kids in a very small space for a very long time. As the hours went by, our good ole reliable Honda Odyssey felt more like the size of a shoebox. I love my family, but my sanity was fading. To quote the Dixie Chicks, I daydreamed about wide-open spaces and new faces.
Anyway, whenever we pass through Indiana, we try to make a point to visit my Grandma Jubie. Being 90 years old now, our opportunities to spend time with her are running out.
But we had our eyes focused on the destination. An hour visit would make our trip even longer and arrival in Charlotte even later. As the Dad, I wanted to make “good time” and keep on trucking. In the end, we decided to pay my beautiful Grandma a visit.
Not home and not answering her phone, there was only one place she could be…
Walmart.
All five of us walked into the store. We looked right. Not there. Straight ahead. Not there. We looked left—and off in the distance we spotted an elderly woman tight gripping the steering wheel of a motorized shopping cart. With a determined look on her face she sped around the corner so fast she might have fishtailed.
“That’s her!” my son, Rett, shouted to the whole store.
We walked briskly and finally caught up to her. And from behind I yelled, “Grandma! Grandma!” I rested my hand on her shoulder and our eyes met. It was a special moment I’ll never forget.
Over the next 40 minutes, we hung out in the chips section and laughed and cried and smiled and hugged and kissed and shared stories and took selfies.
Life is a journey isn’t it? We’re all on this road trip called life headed towards a destination.
In the Scriptures, Jesus may have been in a hurry, but He was never too busy for people. One day He was on His way to heal the dying daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler. While Jesus was walking, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched His cloak:
“Jesus turned, and seeing her He said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.” (Matthew 9:22)
Jesus had somewhere to be. It was an emergency. People were counting on him. Death was hanging in the balance. But He stopped. He looked right. He looked straight ahead. He looked left. He saw her. And He healed her.
You know the rest of the story—after awhile Jesus arrived at his destination and revived Jairus’ daughter.
The lesson the disciples learned that day is the one we can learn today:
The journey is just as important as the destination.
Certainly, goals and plans and dreams and where we are going matters. Jobs and school and projects and deadlines and quotas matter. Weekends and relocations and promotions and graduations and weddings matter.
But in all of the “then and there,” we can’t ignore the “here and now.” In all the future planning we can’t miss out on present living.
We can’t be so focused on where we’re going that we miss out on who we’re becoming and whom we’re blessing along the way.
You see, when we trust God with our future, we can trust God with our present. And the more faithful we are in the journey, the more joyful we’ll be at the destination.
If Jesus didn’t care about the journey, He would have skipped the three years of ministry and gone straight to the cross. But He didn’t. He loved people too much to simply expedite the process.
And fixing His eyes on the cross, He knew exactly what to say “Yes” to “No” to along the way. “Will this choice move me towards my destination or away from it?” he may have asked.
Loving and healing and serving and caring all were intricately connected to his final destination.
All this hits close to home. While finding a job is my destination, I want to enjoy family and friends and love and grow and be shaped and learn along the way. But man, this is hard. God keeps trying to tell me, “Heath, I’ve got this. Be diligent, but be patient. Trust me and enjoy the journey.”
Friends, where you are going is important. But how are you getting there? And would Jesus want to come along for the ride? Who are you and others becoming along the way?
In view of our sure and final Destination, may we trust the One who pursues us even when we’re far from home and don’t answer His call.
And He knows where we are even when we’re cruising at top speeds on motorized shopping carts.
He rests His hand on our shoulder and looks into our eyes. He wants us to give up the wheel and give Him a hug.
And He calls us by name simply because He loves us and wants to spend time with us, no matter where we are.