Are We There Yet? On Living a Meaningful Life With God

I grew up asking my parents if we were there yet. On road trips from Orange County to Oregon to visit my grandparents, and later on planes when my parents became missionaries to France. Wedged next to my little brother and sister, and struggling with motion sickness, the question stemmed from my own impatience and discomfort, and always assumed that the destination would be more enjoyable than the journey.

Dwelling on our destination

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites are on a journey. They have been delivered from slavery but have not yet reached the Promised Land. They were in the difficult in-between space, and they grumbled and whined about it. 

Maybe they expected that life would be so much better and easier once they got there. Maybe they said things like…

Once we’re settled in the land of milk and honey…

Once we’ve conquered all our enemies…

Once we’ve built a tabernacle in which to worship God…

Once we have our own king…

Then! Then, we’ll be living our best lives as the people of God.

We are prone to doing the same thing today. We look ahead towards a particular destination as the life circumstance that will enable us to better serve God, to be the kind of Christian we are meant to be. We look to some future event to bring meaning and fulfillment to our lives.

Once I graduate from college…

Once I land my dream job…

Once I build a family…

Once the kids are grown…

Once I’m retired…

Then! Then I will live a more meaningful life for God. Then I will be more useful for the kingdom.

Where have you set your sights on arriving? Where is your journey taking you?

Always on the way

Early Christians were called “Followers of the Way” because Jesus described himself as the Way, the Truth, and the life in John 14. As followers of Jesus, we are always journeying, always on the way to becoming more and more like him. Just like the Israelites were being formed into a priestly kingdom and a holy nation, learning what it meant to be God’s people, so we too are being formed as people of God.

Our life of faith begins with the understanding that eternal life with God isn’t our FINAL destination, it is our STARTING point.

I think Moses had a deep understanding of this. Psalm 90 is the only Psalm attributed to Moses and he starts it by saying: “Lord, YOU have been our dwelling place in all generations.” Not Egypt, not the Promised Land, not the in-between wilderness, but YOU Lord. We dwell with God. We make our home with God.

This brings me so much comfort. When I was growing up as a missionary kid, we moved 8 times in 11 years, across countries and continents. I never knew what to say when someone asked me where I was from. When I started college in Michigan, I stood in a circle during freshman orientation while we went around saying our names and where we were from. I said: “Hi, my name is Sarah and I’m from California and France and Germany.” Everyone gave me weird looks, especially my now-husband who was standing in that same circle!

The truth is, when we belong to God, we dwell with God no matter what our current life circumstances are. We may not see God’s presence in a burning bush or a pillar of cloud and fire, but we have the Holy Spirit always with us.

Living a meaningful life with God

When I was little, I never heard the “d” at the end of “Promised Land.” I thought my Sunday School teachers were saying Promise Land, as in “Land of Promise.” In a sense, we live in that Land of Promise right now:

…the promise that death doesn’t have the final say.

…the promise that God is making all things new.

…the promise that God is with us always through the presence of His Holy Spirit.

All of us here in the Land of Promise are on a journey, always on the way to knowing God more, always on the way to becoming more like Jesus. And the richness of a meaningful life with God doesn’t start once we reach a particular destination or life circumstance, it is available to us in our very ordinary here and now.

Living our lives in relationship with God happens day by day:

It’s our habits of faith. It’s our daily decisions. It’s trusting God with every outcome. It’s in the way we treat others. It’s living with an awareness of God’s presence with us always, even now.

Liked this post? Please share it! And if you’re interested in growing in your faith as a busy woman, subscribe to get The Scoop, my twice a month newsletter filled with helpful links to the best posts and podcasts to encourage you in your journey of faith! As a thank you, you’ll get access to ALL my resources in the Free for You library: breath prayers, free e-books, and more!

*This piece has been adapted from a Sunday sermon I gave in May of 2023

**Featured Photo by William Krause on Unsplash