Weary Traveler
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“No. It’s not okay.”
“Well, why not?”
“Because its crooked. We aren’t going to settle.”
I cannot tell you how many times we’ve had this discussion while building our house. We easily grow tired and weary from all the manual labor. Some jobs are more difficult than others and often, our minds struggle staying focused.
The desire for completion drives us to continue. Knowing we will one day be finished, moved in, and settled, drives us onward. I picture myself with my feet propped up, near the wood stove, fire dancing behind the glass door. Or I envision myself climbing the stairs to my office, working on multiple book ideas, papers scattered everywhere without having to clean them up. Focusing on the end goal keeps me from giving up.
A similar progression happens in life. The list of chores, goals, and commitments seems never-ending. The journey makes us weary and we long to settle. An unfinished part here or a compromise on growth there—surely we won’t be effected in the long run.
But as soon as we settle, we lose sight of where we were going. Our eyes were once fixed on the prize and nothing would deter us from pushing, trying, and exploring new directions. We were unwavering, despite the weariness, and nothing would stop us from reaching our end goal.
Until we stopped. Until we settled. Until we compromised.
Yes, maybe we won’t have to face all the hard areas anymore. Maybe we stop being stretched and are able to catch our breath. Maybe we feel content for a moment. Life would be okay here.
But settling only brings temporary relief. After a while, the crooked wall will begin caving in. The unsecured trim will break away. And the carefully constructed world we have made will crumble around us.
The American settlers who explored the western frontier wanted to go as far west as they could, but due to illness, weariness, death, and starvation many decided to stop halfway and settle there. They never made it to the gold-filled streams and hills—they stopped a few hundred miles short of victory and settled for a halfway dream.
Have we done the same? Have we strived for more of God, yet when he calls us to holy, set-apart living, we duck and cower, settling for the ways of the world? Have we talked ourselves out of the best decisions because we are too tired to finish the work? Comfortable settlers will miss out on the earthly fields of golden blessing that accompany those sojourners who never stop striving for the end goal.
Weary traveler, the best is yet to come. Never settle for less than God’s best—especially when the journey seems all uphill. It is always worth the climb.
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