"Why Waste the Journey?"

I have two things to write about this morning. LOL, I have wasted an hour playing games. This morning one of my writings will deal with a homeless man and gratitude, and the other will be our journey through life. I will write about the latter first.

Most of us talk about life being a journey, and many of us have heard that from our parents or someone else in our past. I have come to agree that life is a journey. However, pressing me this morning is the question of if we know life is a journey, why waste it?

Why waste it chasing the riches of this world?

Why waste it competing with the "Jones?"

Why waste it comparing yourself (your life) to others?

Why waste it hating, envying, detecting, and otherwise putting others down?

WHY? Why waste the journey?

Why not use the journey to prepare the way to your purpose for being here in the first place? Oops! Maybe that is the question that must first be answered if we are not to waste the journey/

So, why are we here? For me, I know I am not here to build rockets, fly in place, kill elephants, sail the oceanwide, build mega-churches, or even get rich. Do not get me wrong, some people are here for just those reasons, and they are about their business.

Remember, the question here is "WHY ARE YOU HERE" followed by "WHY WASTE THE JOURNEY?" Maybe the latter question should read, "Why waste 'your' journey?"

Whether you believe in God or some other deity or no deity at all, each of us is here for a purpose, and just maybe we should consider or ponder that question as we journey through this life.

I have spent years trying to figure out why am I here. At this point in my life, I still have not fully answered the question, and I often feel that I have wasted more years than I care to admit doing things that sometimes make me feel that I have wasted more of my journey than I care to admit.

Do not get the above statement wrong. I did not say that I regret my life or my life's work. I do, however, believe that there has also been a lot of wasted time on things that have not made the journey more meaningful. For example, I have spent time getting angry, competing, rebel-rousing, dilly-dallying, and whatever else crossed my mind at the time.

Should I have not spent that time? I will never know because it is behind me. What matters now as I look toward tomorrow is what will I do today?

I suggest that each of us reflect on our journey going forward with the question of "why waste the journey? We are going to travel through this life no matter what we do. So, why not consciously decide to make that journey meaningful? Not for someone else, but for YOU!

Don't be too harsh on yourself. Don't worry about what others will think. Focus on you. You are the important element on your journey, and what you do on that journey will only benefit you.

As I thought about this today, one scripture in the Bible kept popping up. Matthew 19:20 -- King James Version -- And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life. WOW!

NO, it does not mean abandon your family, but you certainly may have to walk away from some of their craziness. You might have to continuously forgive them or yourself for not buying into their madness, and, yes, you may have to walk alone in your beliefs of what is right or wrong for YOU! Remember, you have the choice to make your journey through life meaningful. So, again, why waste your journey?

We all get to make this choice -- I will make my journey through this life meaningful to "ME!" Remember, it is the only one you get.

Peace and blessings to you and yours always.