As many may know, our family of four spent ten days in Central Alaska at Kokrine Hills Bible Camp. We left Madison at eight Thursday morning and did not get to our destination for twenty three hours. Then five hours later, after minimal sleep, we hopped a small, six passenger plane to camp.

Each plane ride was iffy as to whether I would actually vomit or not. Most jaunts were spent with my head leaned straight back, eyes closed, hoping the cool air on my face and limited movement would keep me from hurling.

And just when I didn’t think I could last much longer, we’d land. The final plane ride was the worst, but once I unloaded and regrouped, the reward of finally reaching my destination outweighed all the struggle of trying to get there in the first place.

The babbling creek. The gorgeous mountain backdrop. The lovely camp setting. All the hurdles and hardship of the journey were absolutely worth it.

Much like the journey in life, getting to the next place is often the longest part of the trip. All the changes.  The cleaning out of old things. Learning to focus straight ahead and not look too hard at the chaos looming on the left or right. Allowing God’s fresh air to be the breath we long for and desperately breathe in. And so often, when we think we don’t have what it takes to endure another moment of the journey, we feel God land our plane and we know a new season finally awaits.

Even though you may be in the longest part of your trip, don’t forget the plane will land. The churning stomach will subside. The overwhelming anxiety will let go. And the end results of arriving at your next, big destination will be worth sticking out the ride.  Don’t let the longest part of the trip distract you from the final destination. All the struggle will be worth it in the end.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14 (BSB)