I’m a really good driver, but I miss turns (especially if I’m talking). I know how to balance looking right ahead for what is immediately coming in conjunction with gazing a little bit further ahead to assess potential dangers or hazards that I’m approaching. I’m also a big advocate for keeping a trailer hitch on your vehicle even if you’re not pulling anything; I’ve been rear-ended twice and having a hitch on my truck has protected my bumper and tailgate. In fact, both times that I’ve been rear-ended, there was absolutely no damage to my truck and there was minimal damage to the other vehicles. Both times this has happened, I’ve gotten to share the gospel with people. There’s embedded meaning within everything that happens in God’s economy. Now, stick with the thought of driving: have you ever thought about the fact that traffic signs don’t actually give you a destination? Let’s assume you’re headed up from Houston to Dallas, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of how to get to the home of the friend that you’re going to visit. The signs on the highway will help you get to Dallas, but unless you’ve got a specific address or destination, you’re going to arrive in the relative location of where you’re going and still be in transit to your final destination. If you don’t have a place of belonging that you know you’re headed too, then you’ll still be searching, and you’ll still be wandering. Life is so much like this. It’s of critical importance for the believer in Christ to keep the hope of the final destination of this journey as a priority (1 Peter 1:13).

This begs the question, “What is the difference in wandering and belonging?” Let me show you what God has been teaching me:

Wandering is not fun | As “beautiful” and scenic as the lands of Judea and Samaria are, it’s no surprise that the children of Israel grumbled amid their wanderings. Save your texts and emails; I understand they were led by a pillar of cloud and fire, they were provided manna, they heard from God directly through Moses, they were stubbornly forgetful (Numbers 11). I get it; I’m not taking up for their forgetfulness of God’s provision in their lives. I am, however, saying that I know my own selfish and forgetful tendencies, and assuming that I am wandering for 40 years in a terrible desert like that, I’d grumble and complain also. Wandering is not fun, and you only have to be lost in an airport or driving somewhere aimlessly one time to realize that without a keen understanding of how to get to where you are going, you are going to feel lost. I’ve not lived in a spiritual desert, or outside of seeking to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my life for some time now, but I know what it feels like to wander. My 20’s have been pretty transient. I’m okay with that; God has allowed me to participate in some really awesome ministry efforts and changed my life along the way. I’ve often forgotten His goodness along the journey, or lost sight of Him in the minutia of information, but I can look back on extended season of transiently wandering and searching for the place where I’ll physically plant roots with gratitude (1 Peter 1:6-7). It’s often been painful, and it’s often put me in an unhealthy comparative frame of mind, but it is in fact in the time of wandering that the realization comes of one’s need for a destination. The world offers some temporary guidance or comfort (materialistic items, status, wealth – the traffic signs), but Christ offers a final destination (heaven for eternity with Him). How different is the journey, even the hard parts, when you know exactly where you’re headed? Answer: so much better.

The Christ-follower gets to be aware of the final destination | Buccees. I’m not all about the pictures with the bronze beaver or the merchandise, but the concept of very clean restrooms, good food, lots of gas pumps, and some clever roadside marketing have made it to be staple in my travels. I have a strategic formula: gas + crispy chicken tender wrap (order it then go to the restroom to maximize time) + cool ranch Doritos + vanilla diet coke + sugar roasted pecans = success.  I legitimately do this every time I stop at Buccees and I’m convinced it’s the chick-fil-a of gas stations; I’ve never had a bad experience. I know what I’m going to get, every time. Following Jesus is exactly the same. It’s important to note, I don’t know exactly what each day will look like on this side of heaven, much less if it will be pleasant or not. I do, however, know that whatever the day might entail, it’s full of ministry opportunity. If my days on this side of heaven come to an end, I know that I get to rejoice in the presence of the king of kings for all eternity, and that is worth whatever the journey might hold. Buccees is never the final destination, but neither is anything on Earth. It’s a comfort and a privilege, that the Christ-follower gets to be aware of the final destination.

Belonging is what He offers | In my camp days I was known as “the branded man.” Rarely would I not don some article of clothing with the camp logo. I was fine with people making fun of me for it because I confidently walked in a sense of belonging to something that I believed in. Think about it, masses of people wear sports jerseys, or a particular brand because of some assemblance of loyalty, convenience and comfort, or a deeply engrained desire to belong. This has been the number one point of contention in all my wandering. I know that I belong to Christ, but my biggest ditch is idolizing Earthly belonging. Everyone is gifted with a heart that longs for eternity (Ecclesiastes 3:11); I however let Satan attack me with thinking that longing for eternity can be sufficed by something the Earth has to offer. Belonging is what He offers (John 1:12); I belong to His church, His body of believers, set-aside to share the good news of the potential for life-indeed now, and life-eternal with Him in heaven as the final destination.

I think the only exception to the traffic sign rule might be the beach. Imagine that feeling of driving all day, knowing that warm salty air and sound of waves crashing is within your grasp. When the blissful feeling of relief and relaxation overtakes your worries as you finally arrive at the spot you’ve been looking for, there’s a feeling of completion. Wandering was necessary to get to that point. It’s through the seasons of wandering that the Christ-follower is able to find belonging (Psalm 139:14). That journey looks different for each individual, but what is uniform is that God is good and He’s got the best interest of His children at the forefront of His mind.

Don’t settle for temporal help or satisfaction in the form of a traffic sign; know your eternal destination. Belong to the life He has set aside for you (Romans 8:28).