Where Are You Going?

Several years ago, I spent some time in Puerto Rico, where I was born and spent part of my childhood. I had an unforgettable life experience on my way back to the mainland while boarding the plane at the airport gate in San Juan. The passengers and I were storing our carry-on luggage in the overhead compartments. As I took my seat toward the front of the plane, I noticed a uniformed airline employee boarding the aircraft trying to get the attention of a passenger. The passenger was looking for her seat and either couldn't hear him amidst the background noise, or thought he was talking to another passenger. She found her seat two rows behind me and buckled her seat belt. As she was no longer on the move, the employee caught up with her. Now standing in front of her, the employee had her undivided attention. He repeated the phrase he had been saying to her the entire time, "Where are you going?" She answered, "I am going to Charlotte." He answered, "Ma’am, this flight is going directly to Chicago." Oh my! Thinking she was going to Charlotte, North Carolina, somehow this passenger had gotten through the checkpoint at the gate and had boarded the non-stop flight from San Juan to Chicago, Illinois! He said to her, "Come with me, I will take you to your plane." She immediately complied. I sat there mesmerized that even though this passenger was resolute, buckled in, and on her way to her next destination, she had no idea where she was really going. I was even more impressed that even though she didn't know where she was headed, there was someone who had never taken his eyes off of her, was resolute to keep up with her, finally caught up to her, and asked her, "Where are you going?" I sat in my seat and thanked the Holy Spirit for this family life lesson! 

God once asked a traveller the same question. The bible records, "Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.  He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave woman, from where have you come, and where are you going?...”" Gen. 16: 7, 8 (NASB). Like many families, Hagar was in distress. Entrapped in the midst of family drama, Hagar had been commanded by her mistress, Sarai, to sleep with her husband, Abram. Hagar was subsequently impregnated by him, and ran away from her mistress' harsh treatment. Pregnant, traumatized, and overlooked, it seemed to her that running away was the only option. God caught up with Hagar. Here are four family life lessons I gleaned from the encounter.

1. God sees families. 

Hagar sees or recognizes that "the angel of the Lord" is God. This is the first time in the bible that a human names God. She names Him El-Roi—the God who sees me. There is reciprocal seeing occurring in the text. God not only sees Hagar for who she is, she sees Him for who He is. It's clear that Hagar was being surveilled by God; our families are being watched by God. He sees our fears, traumas, brokenness, and distress. He sees more than that, He sees our intent, joys, triumph, and bright future. He sees His precious children and loves what He sees!  We are invited to see Him with new eyes.

2. God engages with families.

He starts the conversation with a question. It's not because He needs information. He knows that we need to hear the journey narrative in our own voice. Also, He wants to hear our voice. God wants to hear our hearts. Moreover, He wants us to discover something about our situation, ourselves, and Him.

3. God redirects families.

He knows the path we should be on and will lead us there Himself, if we surrender to His leading. The Divine Guide longs to do more than redirect us to our next destination, He wants to come along. It was always about taking the journey with Him.

4. God saves families.

There is no condemnation coming from God. He could have given Hagar a behavior modification lecture about what she could have done or not done. No need for that, the purpose of seeing, engaging, and redirecting was always to be in a saving relationship with God!

As members of His family, there are times in our lives when we are resolute, buckled in, confident about the flight we are on, and we have no idea that we are going in the wrong direction. I am so grateful that God:

a) knows all about flying the friendly skies,

b) never takes His eyes off of us,

c) is determined to stay with us, and

d) knows just how and when to catch up with us.

It could be that today He caught up with you and asks, "Where are you going?"

Written by: Daniel A. Carmona, D. Min.