"What we love the most often gives us the greatest pain. What we love in our work often gives us the greatest heartaches. No doubt this was true for Moses, too. His moments of religious experience, his moments in Sinai were no doubt his greatest religious fulfillment. Yet for all the heartaches his people gave him, I'll bet he wouldn't have traded the journey itself for anything. I know I wouldn't." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 108)
There is much in this earthly pilgrimage that is simultaneously fulfilling and frustrating. No matter which part of our lives we look at, there are aspects of the journey that have formed us and made us who we are at this moment. Sometimes those experiences were quite incredible, almost religious if you will. There are of course others that were incredibly painful. Where the only thing we could take from them is a lesson in what not to do, or to no how to deal with the negative experiences the next time they roll around.
Moses we are told doesn't make it to the promised land. Scripture interprets that as God's punishment for his unfaithfulness. He was allowed to see it from a distance.
There was a cartoon that I remember as a child where this group of "people" were flying around in some contraption and they were always seeking "the perfect place." I don't think they ever found it. Many of us are always looking for that perfect place, that promised land which actually doesn't exist, and yet is the goal put before us to keep us walking, to keep us striving.
I don't believe in a promised land here on earth. I do believe in heaven and perhaps that is a promised land of sorts. But I know that to arrive there, I need to continue on this journey through the highs and the lows, experiencing and trusting in God's presence throughout. Is that easy, no. Will it always be fun? Probably not. But in the long run will I continue to grow and learn from each day? I certainly hope so.
Blessings,
Ed
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