Mountain Climbing

This was taken from a daily email I get from Joel Osteen Ministries. Ignore the mullet on this guy - he has good stuff to say. Today's particular email spoke volumes to me. Ignore the similarities to the Miley Cyrus song!
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TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself,so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God"
(Proverbs 4:18, NIV)

TODAY'S WORD
Sometimes it's easy to become so goal-oriented and so focused on our dreams that we overlook the simple things that we should be enjoying in our everyday life. But we have to remember that life is not really about the destination, it's about how we live all along the way. It's about the path we're on that shines brighter and brighter.

In this life, there is no such thing as a finish line. Once you accomplish one dream, God will give you another. When you overcome one challenge, there will be another. There is always another mountain to climb. If we make the mistake of just living for the destination, we'll look up one day and realize we've missed out on the biggest part of life because most of life is routine. Most of us get up every morning, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and do it again. There are very few mountaintops where you graduate from school, or you get married, or have a child, or go on vacation. The high times are few and far between. Don't get stuck living for the mountaintops. Learn to enjoy the path you're on. Learn to enjoy the people in your life. Learn to enjoy the simple blessings of walking in the path the Lord has prepared for you.

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For someone who constantly worries about that next milestone in her life (when will it happen, with whom, how will I handle it, etc.) I often have to stop myself and remember that there are some great times to be had along the way. We also have to realize, that as Christians, we are called to live a life differently than one "of the world." This doesn't necessarily mean running around and preaching the bible on sidewalks or even constantly mentioning our faith or God to people in casual conversation. It means to be different enough, so full of joy, that people can't help but realize there IS something different about the way we approach life and in how we live and our capacity for love for even the people who seem the least worthy of anyone's love.

We aren't here to discriminate, judge or worry about where we're going. We're here to love like Christ loved, live like He did and hope that through everyday life and actions we show that it isn't about the destination, but the lives we touch along the way. And maybe, just maybe, we'll be lucky enough to have our loved ones join us in our Christian walk.