Are We There Yet?

If you’ve ever taken a road trip with kids, you’ve heard this refrain more than you care to remember: “Are we there yet?”  Everyone is getting restless, sick of riding, and ready to get to the destination.  When it comes to spiritual growth, this is a question I’ve asked a lot, too.  When will I reach a level of spiritual maturity where I can say that I’ve arrived?  How many times do I need to read the Bible to achieve that?  What other spiritual disciplines do I need to practice to reach that peak?  

I’m learning two things about this spiritual journey.  First, the destination is just a mirage.  Anytime I start to imagine that I am closing in on spiritual maturity, I learn something that makes me realize how far away I truly am.  The more I learn about God, the more vast he becomes.  Second, the destination is not a place of spiritual maturity I am headed towards.  The destination is right where I am at any given moment.  Because in that moment God is there with me.  God meets us in the moments of our lives, building off of them in ways that make us more like Jesus.  That makes every moment of the journey a destination in itself.  Are we there yet?  Yes!  And also, not yet.