Destination: ?

Today I turned in the last assignment of my high school career. And then I cried.

They weren't the happy tears you get after finally being done; they were tears for everything I was leaving behind and everything I'd never gotten. I wanted to hold onto my high school experience and keep my senior year going.

Part of the assignment that I turned in was to watch a video involving my teachers' discussion on the seven churches of Revelation. The seven churches are being addressed by Jesus, and almost every church gets a commendation for something they've done right and a rebuke for something they're doing wrong or lacking. But before every rebuke, Jesus introduces Himself with a name or title that is the solution to the church's problem. For example, a certain church is being rebuked for being spiritually dead, and Jesus is introduced as the One who has the seven Spirits of God.

As they were discussing this, one of my teachers said, "Isn't it so great that what we need is who Jesus is?"

I've always heard that Jesus has what we need. I've always heard about coming to Jesus because the solution is in Him. But that one sentence totally flipped things around for me. Jesus doesn't have what we need; Jesus is what we need. The solution isn't in Jesus; the solution is Jesus.

What we need is who Jesus is. Jesus knows what we need, and He comes to us as the fulfillment of that need.

A friend of mine once said, "Jesus is our destination, so once we've come to Him, we've arrived."

I know it's usually heaven that's painted as being our destination; but the only thing that makes heaven what it is, is Jesus. So if He's our ultimate destination, and we live every day with Him, we've already arrived. And if we've already arrived, we're free to enjoy the rest of the journey for the experience that it is and not just for the destination - because we're on the journey with our Destination.

Today I turned in the last assignment of my high school career. And then I cried.

But I know that even though I had to leave a chapter of my life behind, what I need is in Jesus and He's going to travel with me into the next one. High school was amazing, but it wasn't the Answer. And college won't be either. I already have my Answer, and no matter where I go in life, I'll be secure in Him. I don't have to worry about what life has in store for me because I've already reached the Destination I ultimately want to be found in.

I've reached my life's Destination and now all that's left to do is live.

Goodbye, high school. I'll miss you.

Hello, college.