The Destination or the Trip?

Sitting here at the end of the day doing a little mental adjusting.

• Guests coming tomorrow night
• Sister in town. Coming for brunch on Saturday
• Early church on Sunday then off to a Leadership Retreat at Savannah Lakes
• Home on Thursday, get my books, button up loose ends
• Leave Saturday for a three-week, five-state meeting/networking/book promotion trip
• Come home, start community group
• Mission stuff still needs some attention
• Haven't heard back yet from a connect call
• Article to write
• Messages to prepare
• Still waiting for some conformations
• Nigeria needs "stoking" again (giving birth to new ministry strategy)
• The cars, oh yeah, the cars (one to take, one to leave, both with problems)
• Will my hand-off of the Romania Project follow through?

When does it end?

Many times I like to google some quotes when I am grossly engaged in strategy detailing and feel a bit overwhelmed. Before you judge me as unspiritual for not searching the Bible, much of my work today has been engaging the Bible. Sometimes I find little nuggets in quotes from men and women who stumble upon profound thoughts in their pursuit of life. I found one such nugget tonight. Check this out:

"People who join Toyota from other companies, it's a big shift for them. They kind of don't get it for a while. They're moving forward, they're improving, and they're looking for a plateau. As long as you're looking for that plateau, it seems like a constant struggle. It's difficult. If you're looking for a plateau, you're going to be frustrated. There is no 'solution.' Once you realize that it's the process itself--that you're not seeking a plateau--you can relax. Doing the task and doing the task better become one and the same thing. This is what it means to come to work."
John Shook, a former Toyota manufacturing employee, as quoted in Fast Company (December/January 2007)

Whoa! I'm already aiming at getting home on October 2nd. Can't wait. As though after this series of things everything will suddenly stand still. Bingo. With that outlook the journey becomes a task or an obstacle. It becomes the mile markers that separate town A (where I am today) from town B (home again). Those days are something to accomplish and get done not opportunities to grow and serve. Ask my wife and she will tell you I am not one to linger between destinations. I am driven to reach the goal or the plateau.

I think I'll opt for Toyota's outlook and do the task and do it better without looking for a plateau. "We must work the works of Him who sent Me [us], as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work." John 9:4

Just Thinking