IN WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU HEADED?

Summer is fleeting, especially after our long, late winter and spring. We try to cram every bit of fun and sun into our days, often forgetting about our long-term destination. God would have us live each day to the fullest for His sake—drawing others to Him through the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control that we have in Him. When we’re sure of our own eternal destination, we can more easily point others in the same direction.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES            by Sally Bair

Where am I going?

On a hot August day I like to think about winter—the feel of snowflakes against my face, a trek in the woods on snowshoes, the north wind howling through the pines. Unfortunately, this cool summer hasn't brought many of those thoughts to my mind. But on one of our rare hot days recently, I did think back to a scene I came upon one January day while out snowshoeing in a nearby field.

A red fox, nose to the ground, zigzagged across the field in a hurry. Then…pounce!  He jumped straight into the air and down again, burying his nose in the snow. A few seconds later, off he went on his zigzaggedy way to hunt another mouse. If I hadn’t known he was after a meal under the snow, I would have thought he didn't know where he was going.

Sometimes we don’t seem to know where we’re going, either. Years ago, in my mother’s efforts to discover her family's roots, she wrote to dozens of people she'd never met, seeking information. Some of the responses were hilarious. One in particular made an impression on us. The letter read, simply, "I'm not so much interested in where I came from as where I'm going."

If only all of us were as interested in our destination!  Sometimes we think of our destiny in terms of today's shopping trip, tomorrow's graduation or birthday party, or the day we retire. If we answer the question, "Where am I going?" with such a limited view of our future, we do ourselves and God a huge injustice. He has a lot in store for us beyond the todays and tomorrows and retirement years. He has promised bountiful blessings for us to enjoy in our present life. Even more, He has prepared a glorious home for us after our life here is over.

We need not wonder where we’re going. God's plan assures us that "… to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God .…" (John 1:12). His Word further teaches that His children are heirs to His kingdom and, as such, receive an inheritance of eternal life with Him—a life free of pain and suffering and a life filled with unspeakable joy. We can know our destination with certainty.

Lord, we thank You for Your faithful, dependable promises. We receive You into our hearts and lives, and believe in Your name. As Your children, we rejoice in our inheritance and in the knowledge of where we're going. Amen.