Today we’re keeping it simple. Your journey—and yes, your journey is uniquely yours—is amazing! It is as simple as that, because it is true. Do you believe it though? Do you believe every step you take is part of who you are becoming? Or do you judge yourself for your mistakes and put yourself down?
When you see that you are amazing, you will also believe your journey is amazing. What do you believe? Or rather, who do you believe? Do you believe in something or someone greater than yourself? From a Judeo-Christian view, take a look a what Jeremiah, one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, wrote to the Israelites in exile from Jerusalem:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
The Context:
The time was 586 B.C., and Judea was at the center of conflict between Assyria, Egypt, and Babylonia—and literally geographically in the center of them. Jeremiah warned the Israelite’s that their disobedience to God could be costly—and, Jerusalem fell captive to Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar.
The Journey:
Jeremiah prophesied the hopeful words above to the Israelite’s in exile to Babylon. There is one caveat, however. Jeremiah had prophesied that their captivity in Babylon would last 70 years—and it did! This certainly was not what they wanted to hear. They wanted to return to their homeland. In fact, Jeremiah further prophesied God’s instructions for the Israelites to prosper in their Babylonian captivity. (Jeremiah 29:3 -7).
Then, exactly as Jeremiah prophesied, 70 years later, the Israelites were freed from their captivity in Babylon, and allowed to return to their homeland, Judea, after Babylon fell to Persian king Cyrus the Great.
The Lesson:
The Israelite’s were promised, through Jeremiah’s prophecy, a future and a hope. The realization of their hope and future, however, occurred in a much different way than they wanted. The timing was different—long!. Their journey took them to a place they did not want to go—Babylon! And it did not even occur in their lifespan, but their future generations inherited the promise. As a people, their future and hope was sure. They returned home. This message has even more significance: From a Christian view, this symbolizes the sure hope of forgiveness and reconciliation with God that believers have in Jesus Christ.
Our journeys are seldom straight paths. Our choices create twists and turns. And, if you believe it like I do, God creates some of these twists and turns too. Like the Israelite’s, we can judge ourselves for our choices or we can blossom where we are now, trusting that the future will unfold exactly as it should. Your journey may not take you to Babylon or may not take longer than your lifetime to reach, however, the message is that, like the Israelites, you have a future and a hope even if you don’t yet see it, even if it is not happening when you expect it to, or even if your journey takes you through hardship. Your journey is amazing! You too have a future and a hope!
The Israelite’s did not do it alone. They traveled together. They had God’s direction through Jeremiah, and Jeremiah loved the Israelites. My passion is to partner with people on their journeys and help them navigate their way to the future and hope that is theirs. Reach out to me and I’ll join you on your journey!
Sincerely,
Your coach for YOUR journey,
Jason
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah
https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/christian-trends/stop-taking-jeremiah-29-11-out-of-context.html
https://www.reference.com/world-view/meaning-jeremiah-29-11-c3a1e99b2ee1070b
http://cojs.org/the_prophet_jeremiah_and_the_exile_to_babylonia-_bryna_jochebed_levy-_cojs/
http://cojs.org/the_prophet_jeremiah_and_the_exile_to_babylonia-_bryna_jochebed_levy-_cojs/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Babylonian-Exile
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/captivity.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivity
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