Regret and Fear are Twin Thieves

Many of us have read The Station by Robert J. Hastings at some point in our lives.  I have read it numerous times over the years.  It never gets old or dated.  It is always a fresh message.  It always bears repeating.  It is unadulterated truth.  Read it.  Think about it.  Pass it on.

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.  We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent.  We are traveling by train.  Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle gazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.


But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.  Bands will be playing and flags waving.  Once we get there our dreams will come true, and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.  How restlessly we pace aisles, cursing the minutes for loitering - waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry.

"When I turn 18."

"When I buy a new 450L Mercedes-Benz!"

"When I put the last kid through college."

"When I have paid off the mortgage!"

"When I get a promotion."

"When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all.  The true joy of life is the trip.  The station is only a dream.  It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24:  "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."  It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad.  It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.  Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles.  Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less.

Life must be lived as we go along.  The station will come soon enough.

What about you?  Does this sound familiar?  Or do you live life as it comes, relishing the moment, enjoying the ride?

Photos courtesy of markhamvillage.com, transit.toronto.com.ca, taylormakes.com, skift.com