I've noticed as I've gotten older, especially when I'm really passionate about something, that I am a very "destination-oriented" person. When I want something or need to get somewhere, I am extremely punctual and relentless in achieving what I need to achieve. Everything is done with a sense of urgency. Even in conversation, if I'm on a roll and I get interrupted, it makes me so angry and I get all frazzled and can't remember what I was saying. I am that way to a fault but it's also a negative thing because I am only that way about the things that I care most about. If I don't care, then it is very apparent and I am lazy. Regardless, I speak on behalf of most "type-As" when I say that the details along the way to an end goal are not very important and if anyone or anything stands in the way of that end goal, it would be in his best interest to be fully armed and protected as he will be plowed over. Ruthless, abrasive, aggressive, overbearing, controlling, over-confident, extreme, intense, impulsive, perfectionistic...pick your adjective of choice. It's a fine example of a God-given personality trait that is incredibly powerful when He uses it and remarkably destructive when I use it.
My point (yes, I have one, just bear with me) is crazy for me. I've noticed while reading the Bible and listening to sermons and what not that almost all of Jesus' miracles are interruptions. He was always going somewhere else or those firsthand receiving the miracles were going somewhere else when their paths crossed.
- On His way back to the Temple in John 9, Jesus heals the blind man with dirt and spit
- On His way to heal a man's 12-year-old daughter, He heals the woman with the hemorrhages in Luke 8
- In Luke 7, a family is carrying their son's coffin to his funeral while Jesus was on the way to another village. Their paths cross and Jesus raises the boy from the dead.
- In Matthew 9, Jesus and His disciples had just gotten off the boat to return to Jesus' hometown when some men carried a paraplegic man on a stretcher to Him and Jesus healed him.
- When Jesus is on His way to Capernaum in Matthew 8, He heals a leper.
The list goes on and on. Every second of His time spent on earth is in anticipation for when His "time" (as it is often referred to as in John) comes...His purpose...His destination. But Jesus isn't a bulldozer. And that doesn't mean His destination is unimportant, I think we all know that. His destination is and was the most important. I mean, come on, eternal salvation and a repulsive slate wiped entirely clean? Redemption for our hopeless and mortal souls? I'd say it's a pretty critical destination as it pertains to you and me. Jesus has this crazy amazing balance between being goal-oriented and detail-oriented. He gives His full attention to the petty interruptions while still, somehow, prioritizing the goal. He has the upper hand as He is, well, perfect, but it is still something I am striving to emulate. Jesus was focused on His goal, gave His full attention and His full compassion to the interruptions, and never lost track of where He was going. He was always pushing forward in the same direction, even if He paused for a bit.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:34:
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
So, the lesson for me?
- Stay focused. Never lose sight of the goal. Always press forward to that goal, but
- Everything that crosses my path is intentional. I have to give my best to every interruption and hiccup along the way, or the goal serves no purpose.
- My God is guiding me and blessing me along the way. We know as believers that He is in control, but as a type-A perfectionist, I tend to forget that He is in complete control. That end goal that I'm following is constant and infinite and unchanging even when my circumstances are not. I have nothing to worry about.
