16 May, 2004

The Journey is Life.

The desktop screen of my displays a picture of a misty woods. The angle of the camera leads the eye to look up the trunks of tall trees but I cannot see the tops. I see the bright white areas where the sky is beyond the and above the tree branches. Around the base, ferns and under growth flourish in the rich soil. As my eyes drift to see beyond, down the well worn path between two trees, my view is blurred by fog. Brightly lit areas on those tall trees trunks tell me the sun is shining behind the photographer. It would seem to be the first light of dawn.


Upon this picture sit the “icons” of the programs and computer tools I use everyday: The Internet web browser, the word processor, the accounting program that keeps my finances straight, the “tune up” software that keeps the computer running well, a folder of frequently used documents, and the “Briefcase” that allows me to synchronize the documents I take back and forth between my computer and the church’s computer. I can merely point to these icons and these work tools open over the desktop photo. These icons don’t interfere with the “view.” They merely sit on top of its edges much like a hiker’s boots might sit along the edge of the path.


The whole desktop screen is for me a metaphor for Christian ministry. You and I are on a journey through the forests of life. Our destination is not in focus because it is the journey that is important; we see but dimly what we will someday know clearly. Glimpses of light lead us further down the path. Each day dawns yet a new opportunity.


As our paths of ministry go in different directions, I encourage you to keep looking forward and walking forward on the journey we call faith. Use the tools along the way never letting them become more than small images and allowing them to run their course after you walk beyond them.


The journey is life. Life it. Love God. And keep on walking toward the Light.