Where You Headed?

“And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” (Luke 15:13 NKJV)

Do you know where your life is headed? Do you understand your life’s journey has a destination? You may not have bought a ticket and packed a bag to a specific geographic location, but your life is no less on a specific trip to a specific end. And yes, of course, that end is heaven or hell, but there’s so much more involved in that process.

If we follow the life of the prodigal son in Luke 15 we’ll find steps or stages that, as only Jesus can, walk us through a similar process in each of our lives. We all have a beginning. It can be a happy family life, growing up as a loved child; an unhappy family life, never knowing if we were loved or not; an orphan, adopted or forgotten.

However our early years played out, they had a part in forming our thoughts and shaping us into what we have become as an adult. We may be well adjusted or a mess, it’s all part of the deal. We are what we are, that’s not the problem. What we DO with what we are is where the journey begins. And here’s the truth, when we first start out, we may not have a clue where our journey is heading. Heaven or hell may not even be a factor in our thinking in the beginning. And, ironically, that’s exactly Satan’s plan.

The prodigal gave little thought to his outcome. In his mind, as long as he had freedom and money, the rest would just be a joyride, and it was, until it wasn’t. How like us who only want to be “someplace else.” We’re in what we perceive as a “dead-end” job, marriage, or circumstance. “I’d rather be anyplace than here!” is our heart’s cry, until we are someplace else and we discover we didn’t have it so bad after all.

Do you find it strange or odd that the prodigal didn’t find that for which he sought until he found his way back home? So often we run from the very source of the answers we seek. We want freedom, liberation to find our own way only to discover self-entrapment is the worst kind of imprisonment. When we’re all wrapped up in ourselves, we discover it’s a very small package.

Corky Calhoun gives us insight when he writes: “A journey only becomes a journey once you’re clear about the destination, otherwise it’s just aimless wandering.” The prodigal believed he was leaving home for good. He was finished with authority, being told what to do, living under someone else’s thumb, until he reached the end of himself, then things became crystal clear.

The Lord knows that until we find our home in Him we’ll be forever wandering aimlessly. In John 15 Jesus explains what it means to have life in Him – purpose, mission, productivity, fruitfulness, life! But He also clearly explains where our journey ends if we don’t find our home in Him – separation, disappointment, death!

So, I’ll ask again: “Where you headed?” If you’re not sure, look at the evidence of your life. Is the purpose, mission, productivity, and fruitfulness of your life revealing your love for the things of the world or for Jesus and His Kingdom? If, like the prodigal, you’re spending yourself for the pleasures of this world, you’re not going to like where you’re heading.

Maybe it’s time to come home to your Father who loves you and has everything for which you’re searching!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊