The Journey and the Destination

Les Henson

We are all on a journey, and the journey itself is hugely important. How we live and interact with the world around us is of immense consequence. How we treat our family, friends, and those we meet each day define to a significant degree the kind of person we are and want to become. Our treatment of the weak, the defenceless, the lonely, the stranger, the alien, the widow and the orphan impacts the nature of our identity and who we aspire to be, both individually and corporately as a community.

Many in our postmodern world loudly shout that it’s the journey rather than the destination that matters. That is foolish. A journey is not a journey without the hope of arriving at a destination at the end of the journey. Think of Tolkien’s incredible story, The Lord of the Rings, despite the destruction of the ring and the return of the king, along with the many amazing adventures along the way. The story is not complete until the Hobbits arrive home. Yet for Frodo, even that is not sufficient. He needs to make that final journey across the sea. Let us not only think about the journey and our destination, but also the meaning of the journey itself.