Song: “Through It All” by Baqi and the Blues

Good morning.

I want to begin today with a very simple question: Where are you going?

Not, “Where are you going this morning?”

Not, “Where are you going to work?”

Not even, “Where do you hope to be five or ten years from now?”

I’m asking something a little deeper: Where is your life going?

Sometimes we become so busy living that we don’t spend much time thinking about the direction in which we’re living.

We get up.

We go to work.

We take care of responsibilities.

We pay bills.

We deal with problems.

We make plans.

We help other people.

We go to church.

We come home.

We go to bed.

Then we get up and do it all over again.

And somewhere in all of that movement, there is a question worth asking: Where am I going?

Movement Is Not the Same as Direction

There’s a difference between being busy and going somewhere.

You can be moving all day and still not be moving toward what matters most.

That’s true in our careers.

It’s true in our relationships.

It’s true with our finances.

It’s true in our spiritual lives.

And it’s true with life itself.

Sometimes we measure progress by activity:

I’m doing more.

I’m accomplishing more.

I’m earning more.

I’m involved in more.

But perhaps the better question is not, “How much am I doing?”

Perhaps the better question is: “Is what I’m doing taking me where I ought to go?”

Proverbs 4:26 says: “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.”

I love that word: ponder.

Think about your path.

Consider it.

Examine it.

Don’t simply walk—occasionally ask yourself where the road is taking you.

What Is Determining Your Direction?

Here’s another thought for this morning: Every destination has a direction.

And every direction is influenced by decisions.

The choices we make today may appear small, but small decisions repeated over time can determine where we eventually arrive.

Who are you listening to?

What are you pursuing?

What occupies most of your thoughts?

Where are you investing your time?

What are you saying yes to?

What do you need to start saying no to?

And perhaps most importantly: Is God directing your journey, or are you simply asking God to bless the direction you’ve already chosen?

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Notice that Scripture doesn’t merely speak about our destination.

It speaks about our paths.

God is concerned with where we’re going, but He’s also concerned with how we’re getting there.

Maybe We Need a Compass Check

Most of us have goals.

Some are long-term goals: retirement, financial security, education, ministry, career, family, legacy.

Others are much closer:

What do I need to accomplish today?

What needs my attention this week?

What decision do I need to make?

But goals without a larger sense of direction can become nothing more than accomplishments.

And I don’t want to merely accomplish things.

I want the things I accomplish to matter.

Jesus asked a powerful question in Mark 8:36: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

In other words, you can arrive somewhere successfully—and discover that you arrived at the wrong destination.

That’s something worth thinking about.

Three Questions for This Morning

So I’m not going to try to answer “Where are we going?” completely today.

Instead, I want to leave you with three questions.

First: Where am I going right now?

Look at the direction of your life—not merely your intentions. If you continue living exactly as you’re living today, where is this road likely to take you?

Second: Is that where I really want to go?

Sometimes we discover that our habits are taking us somewhere our hearts never intended to go.

Third: Is that where God wants me to go?

That’s the most important question of all.

Because success is not simply getting where I wanted to go.

For the believer, success includes becoming who God desires me to become and faithfully walking where He leads me.

Something to Think About

So as you begin your morning, don’t feel that you have to figure out your entire life today.

You don’t.

Maybe today you simply need to stop long enough to check your direction.

Ask yourself:

Where am I going?

What is taking me there?

And if I stay on this road, where will I eventually arrive?

Psalm 119:105 says: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Notice what a lamp does.

It doesn’t necessarily illuminate the entire journey at once.

It gives enough light for the path in front of you.

Maybe that’s all some of us need this morning.

We don’t need to see the next twenty years.

We need enough light—and enough faith—to take the next right step.

So today, before you worry about how fast you’re moving, ask yourself whether you’re moving in the right direction.

Because in this journey called life, speed doesn’t matter very much if we’re traveling the wrong road. 

Where are we going?

Think about that today.

And perhaps tomorrow, we’ll go a little farther down that road together.

Have a blessed morning.