My friend Philip Yancey has used the following analogy many times as we have debated into the wee hours of morning our variant views of politics, religion and life. At this critical time in America’s history this analogy and the Christianity Today article that accompanies it, are something every believer and American needs to hear. Let me know what you think.
We find it difficult to maintain a commitment to both this world and the next, to this life and the next.
A friend of mine uses the analogy of a busload of tourists en route to the Grand Canyon. On the long journey across the wheat fields of Kansas and through the glorious mountains of Colorado, the travelers inexplicably keep the shades down. Intent on the ultimate destination, they never even bother to look outside.
As a result, they spend their time arguing over such matters as who has the best seat and who’s taking too much time in the bathroom.
The church can resemble such a bus, says my friend. We should remember that the Bible has far more to say about how to live during the journey than about the ultimate destination.
Comments
This is an excellent illustration and so very true.
But what about this variation of this illustration: The people on the bus have their shades up and are trying to take in everything they can. But they get so caught up in the scenery and begin to worry over whether they have seen enough. They divert the bus to other “scenic stops” because they feel they need to get more “tourist” experience before they reach the Grand Canyon. Eventually…they worry more about the journey than the final destination.
What are your thoughts on this?
That’s what I was thinking – we can get side-tracked by the “pretty” things and forget about keeping our eyes on the goal.
I think that far more often we are prone to forget that the pretty things are gifts from God. Certainly we must never forget the destination. But to ignore the journey is to miss life!