December 12

Acacia Abraham

Psalm 93; Philippians 3:17–4:1

You CAN get there from here. 

I know it is hard to remember the days before Google Maps, but when I moved to Boston in the mid-90s I got to know my neighborhood by running routs in different directions. Having moved from the West where most cities and towns are organized on a grid, I figured I could just make a series of right or left turns and end up back at home. This is where I came to understand the phase, “You can’t get there from here.” Some streets I turned down ended up being dead ends and I would have to turn back and try the next one…which would also be a dead end! There is nothing intuitive about the way the streets in Boston and the surrounding towns are organized. It is all memorization. So I bought a map. And I began to be diligent about reading the street signs rather than making the assumption that the street was passable. I quickly learned that there were many different ways to get to the same place… depending on time of day, traffic or weather. Sometimes the quickest way was not the most direct or that, in fact, you could not get there from here. 

In Philippians 3, Paul is cheering us on to follow his example and others who do also: committing to and following Christ. It will certainly not be the easiest path or most direct, but it will lead to our salvation and a restored heavenly body.

The map to navigating our lives in Christ is the Bible. The street signs are held by our sisters and brothers and the Holy Spirt. As I got to know my new home, it occurred to me that our paths to salvation are very much like the streets of Boston. I can choose my own way, ignore the street signs and dismiss the advice of locals and never reach my destination. But, if instead, I read my Bible to get to know Christ, I begin to trust him and can follow where he leads. If I turn to others who are also following him for support and encouragement I stay on the path. And when it seems like I will not make it to my destination I simply need not rely on earthly things but need only remember that my citizenship is in heaven and I know the one who can do all things. HE can get [me/you] there from here.