When I lived in Alaska our house was ten miles and a twenty minute drive outside of town.   I saw  many interesting things on my way to and from town.  Once I counted a hundred eagles perched in a group of trees along side the road, that was a one time experience.  Sometimes all I saw was black darkness with snow hitting the windshield and swirling around the vehicle….I saw that more often that I would have liked.  Sometimes I saw the most beautiful sunrises….the foggy clouds over the bay would be alive with color as if they were on fire.  Sometimes I didn’t see anything but fog, we went for a week once and couldn’t see across the street the entire time.  Sometimes a good day was just being able to see the bottom half of Mt. Barometer. 

But there was one morning I didn’t see something that a lot of other people in the same place and at the same time that I was did see.    One morning I drove to church, in a hurry as usual with three kids in the back of the mini-van.  I drove past the dumpsters and noticed there were a lot of cars parked there and on the road nearby, but I was in a hurry to arrive to church on time and didn’t pay much attention to what was causing such a stir.  When I arrived to church I had several people ask me if I had seen the bears at the dumpsters out where we lived.  Hmmmmm….no I hadn’t.  But I had seen all the people there.  How could I have missed seeing the bears?  How could I have been so focused on what I thought was important and missed seeing the bears that were probably 50 feet if that from me?  I was really annoyed with myself because it was the only opportunity I had to see bears like that.  I lived in Alaska ten years and never saw a bear, despite them occasionally wandering our neighborhood. 

Isn’t life sometimes like that?  Even our spiritual lives?  We get so focused on the goal or the end objective that we miss things along the way?  Many times I think that we miss things God has for us on the way to reaching goals because we have tunnel vision on the finish line. 

So here’s my sage advice based on my life experience: Having goals and objectives is a good thing.  But don’t miss the magical moments and opportunities along the way because, after all, the journey is the goal.

I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith.  2 Timothy 4:7 God’s Word Translation