Last year my wife and I decided to drive across the US, up to Vancouver, Canada and back to Texas for our vacation. We made a plan and that gave us a chance to look at our options, select the best route and make reservations in advance. The plan helped us stay in our budget, enjoy the trip and see more sights along the way. It worked so well, we wanted to try it again.
With our previous experience as our guide, we began making another plan for this year. During the last trip my wife said, “I wish my grandson could see that” whenever we saw something really spectacular. She wants our grandchildren to see there is so much more “out there” than their hometown has to offer. That led us to include them and their parents in our plan.
Adding five more people made it much harder to stay within our budget. Grandma let our grandchildren pick the destination, but going to New York City or Disney World were too expensive. The kids didn’t understand our limitations and that almost ended our trip before it began. Grandma was about ready to forget the whole idea and go by ourselves, when I decided to try a closer destination. My son-in-law had suggested the Grand Canyon and with my air-miles, we could afford a good hotel. The Grand Canyon is a leisurely two-day drive and that will further reduce our expenses. It looked like our plan was coming together!
That made me wonder why people don’t plan their lives a little better. Not everything will go according to plan, but it can make the journey better in the end. The final destination is the first and most important decision. That one is easy. You don’t want to go to Hell, so Heaven is the only reasonable choice. How do I get there? “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 KJV). How can I be born again? “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). Believe in JESUS and you will be “born again.” You will get a new spirit that will live forever! What about the cost, can I afford it? No, but JESUS paid the price for your reservations with his precious blood.
What about my family, can they come too? Yes. They must accept JESUS for themselves and be born again. You can “Train up a child in the way he should go” (Prov 22:6) and show them the way by going that way yourself. How can I get to know JESUS more? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1 and 14 KJV). Get to know the WORD (Bible) and you will know JESUS.
Is that the whole plan? No. There is room for everyone on this trip and we have an unlimited budget. Spread the word, so “whosoever believeth” can go with us!
Wayne Lance (2018)