From time-to-time my family finds a few days to sneak away for a family trip. Often it's an opportunity to get with other family members. Other times it's a fun vacation or relaxing get away. Regardless of the destination or the reason for the trip, there is something you can always count on. (If you are a parent, you can probably guess what's coming.) Somewhere in the middle of the trip (at any point past the first mile-marker on the interstate) one of my kids will ask, "Are we there yet?" (At this point I usually respond with something really wise like, "Sure we are. Open the door and hop out." Thankfully, none have tried it.) It's their attempt to measure progress and determine longevity--to find out where we've been and when the journey will be over.

Isn't it funny how little we change as adults? We spend a whole lot of time measuring our journeys. We celebrate milestones, birthdays, anniversaries, tenure, etc. all in an attempt to answer one major question..."Are we there yet?"

We wonder how long we have walked this earth and how much further till we are home? Though some don't realize that's what we're seeking, we are seeking it nonetheless. It is no wonder that we have such a fascination with apocalyptic events and dramatic scenarios. The "Left Behind" books that sold millions of copies to believers and non-believers alike resonated with us. How much longer till we are home?

I ask myself that question quite often, especially on those days that seem a little tougher than others. Days where life piles up really high on my shoulders. Days where it seems I don't have a whole lot of energy to do much of anything. Days where I take blow after blow from the "enemy" (Satan) and wonder if I can handle any more. And, especially those days where I want to hear my grandmother pray for me one more time, hear my dad cheering at me from the stands, see my wife's beautiful smile or watch my little boy as he races across the yard. It's those days I wonder, "Am I there yet?" Kind of like these words from the group "Mercy Me" that came out just about the time my wife and son were killed:

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

But there's more. Because every time I wonder "Am I there yet?" I know God replies: "No, son. Not yet. There's more road to be traveled. More things left to see. More conversations to be had. More trials to endure. More songs to be sung. More sunsets to take in. More laughter and more tears and more dreams and more frustrations. No, son. We're not there yet. But when you arrive, boy, what a day that will be."