The Monarch Migration Badge

"Congrats on earning your Monarch Migration Badge" the email read. Fitbit was notifying me that I had walked a lifetime total of 2,500 miles, the same distance as the Monarch butterfly's migration.

2,500 miles is quite a distance. Could a butterfly survive a trip that long? No. As it turns out, they can't. 

Every year, when temperatures begin to cool, the Monarch butterfly begins its annual migration toward Mexico and Southern California. (Most Monarchs in the U.S. head toward Mexico.) 

The traveling butterflies begin their migration, but no individual Monarch makes it. The first Monarch begins the migration, lays eggs that hatch, mature, and continue the journey. It is the fourth generation Monarch that arrives at the overwintering site. 

The initial migrant Monarch begins a journey it will never complete. 

The destination is not the point of the journey. Survival of the species is the objective. In a way, the "point" of the Monarch's life is to complete their portion of this incredible relay for survival. If the butterfly does its part, and the next butterfly does its part, and the next, the goal will be accomplished. Survival will be insured.

It's all about the journey.  

In a way, the life of a disciple is much the same. We, too, are on a journey of obedience that must be completed. We know, and will reach, our destination, but if we fail to fulfill our role in the body of Christ, fail to reproduce our faith along the way, the cause of Christ will be seriously jeopardized.

Every one of us in the body of Christ must do our part for the purposes of our Lord to be accomplished. No single individual is more important that anyone else, but every person is vital to the proper function of the body of Christ.

Our journey is not a success when we bask in the spotlight. Our journey is a success when we work together to give Christ "center stage". 

"For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12 nasb)

Today, let's take a close look at our own lives. Are we, like the Monarch, living for the greater good, or only for ourselves? Are we making a difference that will be felt for generations to come?

We were created to be more than we know. We were intended to be a vital part in the Kingdom of God.

Let us not live as those who cling to this world. Instead, let us live as those who are on a journey toward an eternal destination, because that's exactly who we are.

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**** My Amazon Author page is now live. Be sure to check it out and follow me.
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In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links:  The Potential for Heritage, Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 1, Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 2, How to Live Longer, Is Longer Life Worth the Cost of Obedience?, The Changing of Our Culture: Physician Assisted Suicide, and The Opportunity in Trials.

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#MonarchMigrationBadge #MonarchMigration #journey #bodyofChrist #FitBit #FitBitbadge

The New Zealand Badge

Emails from Fitbit are a never ending adventure. Today, I received an email that said, "Congrats on earning your New Zealand badge!" New Zealand? How could I possibly have earned a New Zealand badge, and what is that, anyway? It turns out that I have now walked the distance between Mordor and the Shire, which is 990 miles, without ever leaving Mississippi. Who knew? 

There's something wonderful about that kind of tangible encouragement, isn't there? If I'd known I could earn a New Zealand badge for walking 990 miles, you can be sure I'd have tried to get there sooner. It's not the electronic badge that I want. It's that setting of a goal and meeting it. The amazing thing about this goal is that I didn't set it. What I set was a daily goal of 10,000 steps. As I've worked hard at meeting that goal every day, I've gradually accumulated some distance. Apparently, those steps I've faithfully walked have added up to miles, and those miles have added up to the distance between Mordor and the Shire. I had no idea that walking the distance from Mordor to the Shire was possible, but someone did, and someone was taking note. (Of course that "someone" was probably a computer program!)

There's an amazing thing about faithfully working toward a goal. Sometimes our faithfulness does more than meet the goal we set. It leads us to a goal we never knew was possible. Before you know it, our faithfulness has achieved more than we dreamed. Isn't that amazing? 

Let's do something absolutely daring in 2015. Let's set a goal, work at it every day, and faithful meet the goal we've set. While we're being faithful, let's look with expectation toward the goal we didn't know was possible. Let's look toward that which God will do with the little bit we offer. What He does is always more than we could ask or hope, so let's start now and look toward what God does with what we do! What fun we will have!

Thanks for sharing 2014 with me. I'm looking forward to an even more amazing 2015, so get ready for an amazing ride! Happy New Year! See ya' next year!