The beginning of the journey

[Hetairos]

Quote

Certainly, the LORD keeps a close watch over the whole earth and stands ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him.
2 Chronicles 16:9a (NET Bible)

Life is like a journey. You start somewhere and you end somewhere. However, the journey does not tell about the beginning and end, but it does tell about the journey itself. A travelogue is a record of impressions. Personal impressions. That makes each travelogue unique. Others may travel the same journey, but make different impressions.

John Bunyan, in his book Pilgrim's Progress, describes the journey that a man named Christian takes to heaven. It is notable that he actually undertakes this the journey alone. He does meet many along the way who join him for shorter or longer periods of time, but ultimately he enters heaven alone. Now I am not concerned with a theological consideration of the book, but like Christian's journey to heaven, each person makes the journey into the Kingdom of God alone. The same is true of life itself; each person is born alone and eventually dies alone.

When you are so preoccupied with your life, you don't realize it so much. After all, there are many challenges that present themselves. However, I myself realized at an early age that there is something relatable about natural life. As a result, even as a young child I wondered if life in general had a purpose - and if life as a human being in particular had a meaning. Yet I was not consciously searching for God or the meaning of life. I was simply attending to matters of higher priority for me. In addition, the existence of God was never in question in my thinking; I simply did not know what His purpose was. In addition, as mentioned, I was far too busy discovering all that life had in store for me.

I as got to know many travel companions in my teenage years, all of whom hung out with me for short or long periods of time, Now I have only one travel companion with whom I travel together. That is my wife, Anja. She became my travel companion when I was almost 29 and to this day she still is. But she is the only one; all the other traveling companions have, as it is so called, each gone their own way by now. Even my children, we now have three, have since found their own "on the road.
However, an invisible traveling companion has joined me; Jesus Christ and He has promised to be my companion forever. I said earlier that I have never questioned the existence of God; He is not personally a traveling companion of mine to this day. However, when I met His son as a traveling companion - He introduced Himself as such, I learn to know God more and more as my Father.

In the foregoing, I got stuck in my early teens. I was going to tell you about my military service - I was a professional soldier in the Royal Air Force - but I won't. Except for the following; I was stationed in what was then West Germany and felt that the world had enough to offer me to make my life very pleasant. Yet something was missing; I just didn't know what yet. At that time, a text in the Bible (2 Chronicles 16:9) caught my eye and I knew "instinctively" that God was speaking those words to me personally. At that moment I somewhat spontaneously? made the decision to put my life entirely in His hands. Of course, I did not realize the consequences that decision would have for the rest of my life. 

I am still responsible for my own existence and every decision I make myself; our God is merciful and He does not impose Himself as Lord in any case. He is simply there and keeps His child - which I had become - and promises never to abandon it again (Romans 8:38-39). I've been through a lot, of course, but everything I've been through, as such, adds nothing to my life as a child of God. The fact that God took care of me and continued to guide my life's journey is all that matters. Without my Lord and Savior, my life would have been totally meaningless.

I am now almost 70 years old and I am already really looking forward to the time when He will take me up into His glory. Not that I expect this to be soon - no one knows that, but the life I have led so far has a purpose. And that purpose is entering into the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22-24). Since Christ's ascension, that Jerusalem has been under construction. The Bible says the foundations were laid by Jesus when He was raised from the dead (Romans 1:1-6). The believers who will inhabit this heavenly Jerusalem for all eternity consist of two categories. First, these are the believers who come from the first covenant. Second, this Jerusalem consists of the believers who have died and will die in Christ. You could also call this "city" the Church or the Body of Christ. We could also speak of Mount Zion or the wife/bride of God Himself, who is getting ready for the wedding (Revelation 19:6-8). Meanwhile, my confidence is growing in my support and anchor, Jesus Christ, who has proved to be a solid fortress. 

When I think of Him, great gratitude fills my heart and I rejoice to finally be able to see Him in His glory and glory. Then, together with all those who love Him wholeheartedly, I will bow my knees in worship before Him.

May the God and Lord, the Savior and healer of all creation, touch the hearts of all of you, so that the desire arises in you too to seek Him alone. Then you too will find Him, and you too will have the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God, which He is preparing for all who seek Him with a true heart. You still have time, because as long as you are alive there is still hope.