The Journey

The journey begins where you are.

Here and now.

Even the smallest step marks a beginning.

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Just when you get comfortable, just when you start settling in, just when you think this is how things will be, something shifts, and you’re launched on a journey. Jolted from the familiar, you’re forced to face the truth that in this world, nothing stays the same for long. Jaded hearts are jostled awake by the breaking waves of change. 

Jump into the water, and you’ll find powerful hands waiting to catch you. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. 

Jettison the things you thought you needed for comfort: security, predictability, and knowing what’s ahead. Joy alights when you learn to accept that life is a sea of change and that’s all right.

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On this journey, you’ll uncover treasures you never would have discovered otherwise. Ordinary sights will beam with a beauty never before seen. Over the hills and across the plains shines the sun, lighting the way to lead you on. Of all the places you’ll see, none will hold a sweeter portion in your heart than the one you call home—the place you know better than any other, even though you have not seen it in all its glory yet. 

Others may not understand the path you take, for the road they are on is different—no two travelers take exactly the same trail. Often you will have to forge a way of your own. 

Of all that you take on this journey, none is more valuable than the voice that guides you. Obey the voice that speaks in your heart, the voice of truth and love, and you’ll never go astray. 

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Under the sand that shifts beneath your feet is a steady bedrock that will never leave. Unending love surrounds you, unflinching faithfulness defends you, and unbending truth contends for you. Ultimately, peace will find you, though you may not feel it yet. 

Understanding that the Lord of everything has paved your path will give you a certainty unlike anything. Upended circumstances and uprising conflict cannot overcome His guiding hand. 

Utter chaos may surround you, but being in the midst of the battle won’t take away your confidence. Until you reach the end of the journey, He will guard you through it all.

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Rising above the change will reveal the person you are called to become. Rain and storms will batter you, soaking through the deepest part of who you are. Roiling waves will try to take you under. Relentless rays of sun will burn through the masks you hide behind.

Running the distance will test your strength. Reeling from the heat of the day and the strain of the race, sometimes you will stumble; but when you fall, you will rise. Remember that grace is always ready to restore you. 

Rest will refresh your soul and revive your spirit beside cool waters and in peaceful pastures. Rebel against the urge to run too hard, too far, and too fast; this is how you preserve your strength in the long run. Raise your eyes and look to the prize.

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Number the stars if you can. Name the gifts you’ve been given until you find the end. Never will you reach the limit of God’s love—as vast as the stars, as deep as a dream, as gracious as the gifts He gives.

New mercies bloom each morning, and they do not fade at night. Nothing can take His love away—not changing circumstances, not strong temptations, not unspoken sorrows, not trying paths.

Nor you. No matter how deep the hurt you hold, He has the balm to heal it. No matter how far you run from the path, He will always bring you back.

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Even when it seems like your life has spun out of control, it has never left God’s hands. Each piece is part of His plan. 

Escaping His purpose is impossible—nothing can unravel it. Evade it, try to erase it, but you can’t escape His plan. 

Epic designs beyond the scope of your mind reside in the Author’s plot as He weaves every piece into a beautiful story. Eventually, good will come from everything.

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You will not be the same at the end of the journey. Young at heart yet old in soul, you’ll find there is still more for you to know. 

Yielding to the rhythms of the road will shape you in strong and beautiful ways. Your heart will beat to a different pace as your soul finds peace in truth and grace.

Yesterday is gone, and you are here. Yet who you are today is not who you were yesterday, nor yet who you will be tomorrow. Your Lord alone knows who He’s shaping you to be.

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Joy stands smiling at the end of the road.

Open arms wait to welcome you home.

Your journey’s end is just another beginning.