The other day I was driving to a venue I had never been to before. From the middle of a random parking lot, with no building in site, Google Maps announced, “you have arrived” to which I responded in frustration, “No, actually I have not!”
Although I eventually found my way to the proper venue, it made me think about the glorious moments of transformation we often seek but rarely find and how, when we do arrive, it’s not always as glorious as we thought it would be.
How many times have you achieved a milestone and felt strangely let down?
Or after all that work, nothing really changed?
Could it be that satisfaction lies in the journey, and not in the destination?
Last week, using the Stations of the Cross as an example, I shared a story about the journey of transformation and how the resurrection itself (the moment of transformation) wasn’t even an official station. Because transformation, no matter how stunning, only takes place in the present moment. Leaving you instantaneously in a space of, what’s next?
Going back to the Easter story, the actual resurrection was a private, quiet, and intensely personal moment that took place in a cave. There was no fanfare, no award, no stage lights, or adoring fans. It happened internally and was over.
What mattered most was the journey towards that moment of transformation, and the journey after transformation. The transformation itself was merely a brief, internal shift. A stopping off between journeys. What matters most, is what happens next.
How different would the Easter story be if the resurrection was the end of the story? Jesus Rose! He did it! Woot-woot! The end. What is most important is the journey before and the journey after.
If you are currently seeking your own transformation, what would it be like to focus on the joy of the journey leading up to transformation, and on what you are going to do after your internal transformation? What would it be like to stop thinking of the transformation as the moment of glory?
It’s my guess that both the journey to and the journey from would be a lot more fulfilling. After all, where would I be if I had focused on my supposed “You have arrived!” transformation and stayed in the empty parking lot with no buildings in site?
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