Destinations

I was one of many coming to New York to fulfill a dream.  I was on a quest to compete with the best; to race at Indianapolis.  In my imagination I had a vision – the City, the community which calls this place home, and the natural striving to be the best – all played a part in my mission.  Decades later I am still on the quest; I have found it is fun to compete yet the destination is often unclear.  It is as if the journey is, in itself, the destination.
 
You can always tell who is new.  Their steps are just too lively.  The bright sparkle in their eyes hasn’t dulled.  Even the guard to their personal hasn’t yet frozen in place.  With time most of this changes.  The bright edges are gone.  The unbridled energy tempered.  The careless freedom guarded.  Even those on a spiritual quest lose sight of their destinations.  Life, the sheer size and complexity of the community, and daily battles all take their toll. 
 
In this context I’d like to introduce you to my God.  She is known by compassion.  He is understood by mercy.  This God is always accepting and present.  There is a destination God has in mind for us.  It begins in the present.  God’s kingdom is now!  In the midst of the chaos and pain of life, metaphorically, “you'll see the king—a beautiful sight!  And you'll take in the wide vistas of land.  In your mind you'll go over the old terrors: ‘What happened to that Assyrian inspector who condemned and confiscated?  And the one who gouged us of taxes?  And that cheating moneychanger?’
 
Gone!  Out of sight forever!  Their insolence nothing now but a fading stain on the carpet!  No more putting up with a language you can't understand, no more sounds of gibberish in your ears.”  (Isaiah 33.17-19)
 
You and I have an incredible opportunity.  We can live out our destinations now!  We can realize compassion, mercy, and justice for the weak.  We can know what it is to be part of God’s community.