Are We There Yet? Part 3: Just Keep Going

By Jackie Rembert

Synod Moderator

Have you ever been on a trip and the journey to get there was such a bad experience that you wished you had stayed home? Perhaps you were going to visit a loved one or travelling for a new job opportunity, but traffic was backed up on the interstate, a delayed flight, or you wanted a new travel partner. You wished your nephew Lot had stayed home? In my case, because the experience was so bad, two hours into my trip, I wanted to turn the car around, cancel everything, and go back home. The ordeal was not worth the frustration or the aggravation. But who or what was waiting for me at the end of my journey made the trip one hundred percent worth it, and I’m glad I decided to continue. And once I had reached my destination, I had forgotten all about the bad experience and what made it so horrible in the first place, but remembered how much joy I had once I got there. Isn’t that how we live our lives? We press on and move forward? As Paul reminds us that “we also glory in our sufferings because we know that our suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope, which does not put us to shame (Roman’s 5: 3-5),” but it edifies us make and us stronger. Are we there yet?

I am excited and I look forward to where God is leading the Synod of South Atlantic in the days and years to come. I just wanted to thank you and let you know how much I truly appreciate your willingness to serve. And it’s all because you decided to go with God. You made a decision to trust God on this journey, and believe that He will bring us to an expected end, the plans He has for us that will not harm us but give us a hope and a future. Often times in life and I’ve seen in ministry, people give up before they really even get started, but usually it’s because they have created unnecessary pressure by trusting themselves with God’s church more that they trusted God with what belongs to Him. And that can be difficult for someone who is used to controlling the outcome. It’s important that we continue to trust God in the process. But what I love about this journey is that God is in control of our destination. The exciting part is that we get to journey along beside Him as we learn how to persevere and grow in character. Just trust in the process.

I believe this spiritual concept can be difficult for someone who has trusted God, but God did not come through as expected. So, we often learn to stick with the status quo. We go with what we know and what we’ve always done, and simply because it works, it’s safe, it’s comfortable, and it’s a guaranteed outcome. But if you have not done so already, I would encourage you to remain steadfast and stretch your faith. Remember, the race is not given to the swift or the strong, but to the one that endureth until the end. So, pace yourself and don’t forget to pat yourself on the back and celebrate what God has allowed us to accomplish on this journey so far. Can you see what the Lord has done?