Notes Along the Journey 07: Time, Not Distance

I’ll be honest. I was a bit torn tonight when it came time to provide a title for this particular blog. On the one hand, this specific thought came about because of my current research emphasis on development aid and poverty alleviation. So, to that end, I thought it should be a part of my current series “In Need of Aid.” However, on the other hand, the underlying meditations were also more personal in nature and certainly much broader in terms of their application. So, to that end, I finally decided to include it as part of the “Notes Along the Journey” series and just tag it as being part of both 🙂

Let me begin with a small excerpt from Ryszard Kapuściński’s incredible book “The Shadow of the Sun” (especially since that was the catalyst for this whole blog today):

“After a night in the chancery building in Bertoua (Cameroon), we drove to a village called Ngura, 120 kilometers away. Measuring distances in kilometers, however, is misleading and essentially meaningless here. If you happen upon a stretch of good asphalt, you can traverse that distance in an hour, but if you are in the middle of a roadless, unfrequented expanse, you will need a day’s driving, and in the rainy season, even two or three. That is why in Africa you usually do not say, ‘How many kilometers is it?’ but rather ‘How much time will it take?’ At the same time, you instinctively look at the sky: if the sun is shining, you will need only three or four hours, but if clouds are advancing and a downpour looks imminent, you really cannot predict when you will reach your destination.”

In the front of the book, I scribbled the following personal notation: HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE? Travel is measured in time, not distance… Obstacles are to be expected. The issue is not the pace of your travel but rather that you eventually reach your intended destination.

Since I started off by being honest, let me now provide full transparency to this blog. This current “journey of faith” first began way back in 2008 when I left full-time pastoral ministry to pursue what I “perceived” to be God’s calling to enter the secular world fully and serve Him in that capacity. At that time, it was perhaps the hardest decision of my life. And since that fateful day, I have OFTEN looked back and wondered if I managed to get that one all wrong.

Let me explain. Over the past 17 years, I have experienced a vast and varied number of incredible “moments” as part of this current faith journey. I have slowly worked my way up from a clerical position to become a supply chain manager in a global manufacturing company. I returned to college at the age of 42 to finish a degree that was forfeited in my early 20s when I was expelled from school for drunkenness and public fighting. I went on to receive not only my undergraduate degree in business but also 3 additional Master’s degrees (MBA from Mercer, MPA from Anna Maria, and Government and Public Policy from Johns Hopkins). Along the way, I spent the last semester of my undergraduate study as a 44-year-old visiting student at Oxford in England (the dream of a lifetime). Other notable highlights during the past near 2 decades include becoming a published author; coming within 100 people of a White House volunteer appointment via the White House Fellows program; serving 5 years as a member of the local Finance Committee here in my current hometown; and, most recently, becoming the Chief International Volunteer Administrator for a local grassroots NGO in Cameroon [RECEWAPEC] with the unbelievable privilege of representing them at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

But here’s the thing… Despite all of that, I still don’t feel like I have arrived at my intended destination. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am not complaining. I am beyond grateful for the undeniable graces that my God has so lavishly bestowed upon me. I didn’t, nor will I ever, deserve a single bit of any of it. I am thankful for each of these unique opportunities as well as for the whole of my life (being a husband, a father, and a grandfather are the real high points). But, if I’m being honest and transparent, I don’t think the journey is over. Like I just said, none of this is the final destination for me. At least, that is what I feel/believe/think/imagine/etc. (I think you get the picture.)

Within that context, the excerpt from “The Shadow of the Sun” hit me like a ton of bricks tonight. For years now I keep lifting my eyes to heaven, wondering and asking the same questions… over and over and over again. How much longer, Lord? When will I reach the destination? Heck, what is the destination? Father, can we speed this up? (I’m almost 60 now and I feel like time and opportunity have long since passed me by.) Did I get this all wrong? If so, why weren’t there any warning signs along the way? Is it too late now?

And finally the ultimate one… Do I keep moving forward in faith even though this pursuit makes less and less sense with each passing day?

Tonight, my God reminded me that this journey, my journey, is about time, not distance. Joseph spent years in a dungeon before he ascended to his place of public service. Moses spent a lifetime of regret on the backside of the wilderness before God redirected his life and affirmed his sense of destiny through a burning bush. Joshua and Caleb both passed the time of perceived usefulness, having long since entered old age, before they saw the promise fulfilled. David took up residence in caves for almost a decade before he reached the promised position of national service and leadership. Even Jesus spent almost 30 years in total anonymity before starting his time of comparatively brief public ministry.

The pattern is clear. Time, not distance. Clear skies give way to storms. Delays and obstacles will appear suddenly, unexpectedly, and, sometimes, repeatedly. A journey that should have been completed in a moment can sometimes take years (maybe even decades). But my God remains faithful. Of that I am certain. And the work He started in me He will also finish.

Now, it’s time to stop worrying and getting moving forward. Again😉