joy in the journey

Certain songs–and there are many of them–seem packed with helpful ideas; they almost ooze truth, providing direction, encouragement, and incentive for the journey. One of these songs, at least for me, is Michael Card’s Joy in the Journey. Here are some the more helpful words:

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

Life, the Christian life, was never intended to be lived in safe and rigid and overly conservative ways. Real living, living that’s attached to the presence and power of our Maker, is full of wonder and wildness. Though Card rightly identifies the need to obey, this obedience is not an enslaving kind, the type that makes you feel like you’re carrying a heavy load. Obedience, rightly perceived, is getting in touch with God, seeking his influence, counting on his nearness. It is aligning our lives with the Creator and his imprint within. This type of obedience is liberating and fulfilling. Indeed, this obedience involves being captivated not simply with a legalistic list of “do’s” and “don’t’s” (though there are some basic guidelines provided) but with locating God’s heart and love–communicated through the invisible Spirit–and allowing our lives to mesh with his.

The joy of loving relationships, the blessing of being able to have a positive impact on another, the sheer beauty of countless opportunities–this is our joy in the journey. This is our light (emanating from God and shining in and through our lives), which we can love. This is true freedom, wedded to purpose, and yielding wonder and wildness in our lives.

Of course the journey is not always easy. Though we’ve been “born of the Spirit,” that is, God lives within us, infusing us with the life that matters most, there are struggles along the way. Sometimes, we get weary. While we sense a camaraderie with eternity, we are stranded for now in the here-and-now of weakness and imperfection. Still, we “share incarnation with him.” I take this to mean that as he was the incarnate Lord, living in this fallen world, so we (in a lesser and derivative sense) live our lives within a society that sometimes lacks appreciation for the values of eternity.

To all who've been born in the Spirit
And who share incarnation with Him
Who belong to eternity stranded in time
And weary of struggling with sin

Through it all, we look to the future, when perfection will one day arrive, and we live with hope. And even now we get a feel, a preview of what awaits. Since we are connected to the One who provides joy, even now that joy spills into our lives.

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey

Living with wonder and wildness–yeah, I like that!