Where are you going?

Where are you going?
Where are you going?
Can you take me with you?
For my hand is cold
And needs warmth
Where are you going?
Far beyond where the horizon lies

“By My Side” from the musical Godspell, by Stephen Schwartz

A few years back I helped produce this show with some good friends of mine, and though it was probably the most difficult production we’d ever attempted, we definitely had a blast doing it! (In case you're wondering, I'm the guy in the middle with the bright red shirt....)

Anyway, you might remember the song printed above, with its haunting melody and lyrics, but even if you’ve never heard it before, the question it asks is far too important to ignore:

Where are you going?

Life is an amazing journey that starts on one day (your birthday), and ends on another (the day you die). But as one writer put it, what matters most is how you spend the “dash” between those two dates!

And the truth is, we’re ALL going somewhere, even if it’s just in circles. The only difference between going somewhere and getting nowhere is…your direction. Because we humans are born with a terminal disease called self-centeredness, our natural focus is inward, which lends itself quite nicely to traveling in circles. This has been proven over and over again in the wild: people who trust their inner sense of direction while hiking in unfamiliar forest land eventually find themselves right back where they started.

The compass was invented to overcome this deficiency, but I’ll spare you the obvious spiritual object lesson that I’m sure is already forming in your fertile mind…

What I’m really after today is to challenge you to take a good, honest look at the overall direction of your life. Would you say that the general direction is more inward, or outward? If you’re not sure how to measure this, do the Time Test. Over the course of a day or two, keep a journal of the amounts of time you spend thinking about, praying for, and/or serving other people, along with the time periods when your focus is on yourself, your needs, and your wants.

The results may surprise you, and probably not pleasantly.

But anyone who truly wants to be a follower of Jesus must be willing to not only face this issue, but also allow Him to change our direction and focus. (‘cause after all, that’s what a “Changeling” does, right?)

Let me remind you of the first words Jesus spoke to those who became His disciples: “Follow Me.” That’s what I call a change in direction! Those two little words yanked them out of their self-centered death spiral and into a new life that was unlike anything they’d ever experienced before.

Maybe you’re ready for a change like that. If so, He’s ready, too…all He’s waiting for is your “yes” to His invitation. There’s a bunch of us already on this road, care to join us?