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I am just passing by.” His belief was he was heaven-bound.
What this means is everyday of our life is a step or steps towards a given destination.
Everyone one of us has a purpose and therefore called to fulfil it.
This is a destination that we have to work towards.
Like any other journey that we undertake, we have to prepare adequately to make the journey possible.
Even with adequate preparation there could be stoppages on the way that are either voluntary or non-voluntary.
We sometimes have to stop to rest, take refreshments, refuel, change a flat, changeover from one mode of  transport to the other. At times we finish a journey on foot.
Some areas are just not accessible due to poor state of roads.
Sometimes we have to navigate our way through potholes or find alternative routes or means of transport when we are confronted with flooded rivers, broken down bridges or bad weather.
In some instances we get roads that have a dead end and therefore have to turn back and start all over again as well as reposition ourselves. Travellers are known to have put up for a night or two at airports for example, while they wait for storms to clear.
Stoppages that we experience can be of our on making or out of no fault of our own.
As it is on our many journeys that we undertake in this world so it could be with our own life’s journey. Life has its highs and lows. We face hurdles on the way that threaten to incapacitate us and ground us to a halt. These challenges come in many ways through disappointments, broken relationships, dreams that keep eluding us, betrayal, bereavement, and failure among others.
Life has also many other side journeys that together make up the package for the journey. While it is necessary that we travel these journeys we should never let ourselves be derailed from the main journey.
A side journey could be finding the  love of your life, getting married, acquiring an education, getting a job or start and run your own business. 
Aside journey enhances our chances of getting to our destination. It is never the main thing.
Achieving something for your life should however, not give the sense of having  arrived. What we need to know is that this is only part of the journey, which is  like getting to a location situated on the way to your destination. You could  stop but it should only be for a while.
There is need for delayed gratification because once we are gratified we cease to  grow and aim higher.
The Japanese advocate continuos improvement, what they call “Kaizen.” If we stop developing ourselves we die, be it physically, mentally, socially or emotionally before reaching the final destination.
Over the years one thing that I have come to appreciate is that life’s up and downs are not in vain. They work together to build capacity in us that help to propel us forward.
Therefore there is no useless experience in our life.
Scripture urges us to consider suffering as pure joy because it teaches us to persevere and in turn leads to development of character. 
We know that character defines and enables us to withstand pressures from the pressures and the pleasures of this world.
The quality of our journey through life is determined by the way we respond to our experiences. If we allow it, the hurts and the pains of life will sink us deep into oblivion.
Similarly the joys of this world can also derail us and bring us down due to pride and recklessness.
Like I said earlier on about our everyday travels, life has bottlenecks and stoppages.
The greatest threat that could stifle your progress is yourself. I say this because we have the power to choose the way we respond to these challenges.   
We can chose to focus on the threats, tell yourself that you cannot do it or you cannot withstand the pressure.
Another response is to persevere, change strategies, be patient, even take a step back to create that break that allows storms to settle down.
The challenge therefore is to keep focused on your destination.
If you think you cannot do it know that you are not alone.
There are some men who were sent out to spy the land of Canaan in preparation for takeover. These men only saw themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to the inhabitants of the land. I would like to encourage you today to change your perception of yourself first because you have the capacity and support for the journey.
You also need to have your priorities right and tap into the treasure that is deposited in you and journey through life with determination and confidence.
My personal conviction dear reader is, apart from God you can do nothing therefore get connected to the power source.
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