Pippin:
Anyways, you need people of intelligence on this sort of... mission... quest... thing...
I loved maps as a kid. I would pull out an atlas, or old road map and just stare at them for hours. I liked tracing the routes and figuring out where they lead. I would figure out how many different ways you could get from one place to another. I know... weird. I just liked maps. I suppose it had paid off in my adult years. I have a pretty good sense of direction, I can get back to just about any place on my own if I have been there once before. When we moved to Michigan I planned out the whole trip (maps and all) and put them in a trip binder just in case we didn't have cell signal. My nerdy map skills (obsession) paid off. Maps aside, I think I'm just like most other people, we like to know where we are going and when we will arrive. Sure, the journey is part of the fun, but if we are honest it's the destination that really matters.
I find myself in a bit of an awkward place at the moment. We are supposed to be heading somewhere, but I don't seem to have a map. I have no itinerary. No ETA. Even worse, I'm not driving. Someone else is planning this trip and I can only wait and see. 15 years ago i hopped in for a ride and well... I haven't been the best passenger. I keep changing the stations, I grab the wheel when I panic, and I'm constantly asking "are we there yet?" God said "I'm going to make you into a pastor" and I forgot to ask for directions before climbing in. I think we are getting close. Maybe one more stop for snacks and to top off the tank, but I can't be sure. Maps are only useful if you already know where you are, and on this last leg of the journey I have no idea where we are headed, so a map is no use to me now. Oddly enough, I am okay with that. This time I don't need to know where we are, or when we will get there. I've tried to navigate, I even tried to rip the wheel from His hands... This trip has taught me to be patient. I've learned to wait. It's not the path I would have chosen, but if I had I would not have seen some of the amazing sights along the way. I recognize, much like Pippin, that the important thing is be a part of the journey. There is something very special going on, and I know that I am meant to play a part. As long as I am there where the moment comes, as long as I am present when we finally arrive, that is all that matters. God has done a great job so far, I can trust Him to take me the rest of the way. Like a very wise Took also said, "Great! Where are we going?"
