Are We There Yet?

I still remember asking that as a child amongst five other siblings, who inquired just as persistently and random as the last one. My poor parents... they did all the planning, preparing and packing, while we pecked away at them with that age-old question, all the way to our destination. The answer was always the same - "almost."

Now that I'm a parent, I see the torment that accompanies this simple scenario. Your innocent, loving children, with adventure in their hearts, sitting in the back seat, dreaming of what their destination will be like. Will it be wide open and spacious? Not like that of the car for the last 17 hours. Will they have to share anything? Maybe their siblings will somehow disappear into thin air. Will they be allowed to run like the wind with no boundaries and curfews in this new utopia?

On the contrary! My mind is conjuring up ways to keep them close, safe and protected in our new and strange environment. If they could read my mind as we come to the end of our journey, their dreams might be shattered. Now, don't get me wrong... I have a bit of a wild spirit myself and thrive on new adventures but my nature as a mother is to err on the side of caution.

So, what's the deal? Why do children feel the need to ask such an annoying question over and over? If they had any brains in their heads, they'd leave us alone and just let us drive. After all, when we get there, we get there. On the other hand, why do we as parents, beat around the bush when it comes to answering? If we were smart, we would calculate the miles on a GPS and give them an ETA. Surely this would stop the unnecessary badgering.

I've tried both ways and believe me, none of it works. No matter how vague or precise the answer, we still hear the questioning again and again. Kids have a kind of radar in their heads, constantly looking for a beacon from you to locate everything from the flight plan to when the plane will land and we are their air traffic control tower.

Not much has changed since I was that kid in the back seat of my dad and mom's 1971 Ford Country Squire station wagon. I've been asking Jesus the very same question. I have radar in my heart and I'm constantly looking for direction from my Strong Tower. I feel like my life is far from over with many more miles to travel but are we there yet?

What are your thoughts?
Cyberpsalmist - Chrissy Larson