Is life more about the journey, or the final destination?

Some will argue that life is all about the journey.  Others will argue that the only thing that matters is where you end up.

I believe that both are equally important, and here’s why:

As a Christian, I believe that this earth is not my home.  My citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).  With that in mind, it doesn’t matter how bad things along this journey of life get, because one day I will finally be in my real home.  I find great joy in the fact that there’s more than this life.  In the 100 years or less that I get to live on this planet, it will be a constant roller coaster ride of ups and downs.  Life can change in a split second.  Because of that, I choose not to live for a split-second world, but an Eternal one.

Consider this:  If you don’t live for Jesus, this earth is basically your heaven.  The life that you’re living is the best it will ever get for you.  If you DO live for Jesus, this earth is the WORST it will ever get for you, because your final destination is Heaven.  Let’s think about that:  If this life is as GOOD as it gets, it’s a terrible place.  But if this life is as BAD as it gets, it’s an amazing place.

No matter what you’re going through, knowing that Eternity awaits should bring an unbelievable amount of joy.  Your journey could be harder than others.  It could be a constant struggle.  The Bible does not promise us that we’ll live perfectly happy lives on earth.  But it DOES promise that the final destination will be worth every second of pain we may have faced.  Just one day in heaven will top our very best 1,000 days on earth put together (Psalm 84:10)  So if you’re struggling in your journey, remember your final destination.

There is also a time, however, when the journey is of great importance.  Too many Christians ONLY focus on the final destination, without fully embracing the journey they’ve been given.  Every single breath is a gift from God.  If we only focus on going to heaven one day, we may fail to bring heaven to earth (Matthew 6:10).  Yes, our home is heaven.  But in our temporary home called earth, we are called to serve, evangelize, and make disciples of all nations.

Heaven should be constantly on our minds, but to be a true follower of Jesus, we should be focused on bringing heaven here.  I’ve met a lot of people who call themselves Christians, but seem to care very little about bringing others with them to heaven.  They almost have a mindset of: “I’m going to heaven, and that’s good enough for me.  Let others believe whatever they want.”  Would Jesus have even come to earth if that was His mindset?

Every person you meet, and every experience you have is for a purpose.  In all of history, there’s a specific reason that God chose for you and I to live in this moment of time.  In 100 years from now, nobody will even know who we were.  But in this life we’ve been given, we are called to make the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:16).  CS Lewis once said, “Those who did the most for this life, were the ones who thought the most of the next life.”

So yes, we live our lives focusing on the final destination of heaven… but we do so by living in the moment and embracing every step along the journey that will lead us there.