Where Are You Going?

Several years ago, I returned to Puerto Rico, the island where I was born and spent part of my childhood. As I prepared to fly back to the mainland, I experienced a moment at the airport in San Juan that has stayed with me ever since. Passengers were boarding the aircraft, placing their carry-on luggage in the overhead bins, and settling into their seats. I had taken a seat near the front of the plane when I noticed a uniformed airline employee boarding behind us. He was clearly trying to get the attention of a female passenger as she walked down the aisle. Amid the noise and activity of boarding, she either could not hear him or assumed he was speaking to someone else. She eventually found her seat two rows behind me, sat down, and fastened her seat belt. The moment she stopped moving, the airline employee caught up with her. Standing in the aisle beside her, he finally had her full attention. Once again, he asked the same question he had been repeating all along: "Where are you going?" Without hesitation, she replied, "I'm going to Charlotte."The employee gently responded, "Ma'am, this flight is going directly to Chicago."I was stunned. Believing she was on her way to Charlotte, North Carolina, this passenger had somehow passed through the gate, boarded the wrong aircraft, and settled comfortably into a nonstop flight bound for Chicago, Illinois. The employee smiled kindly and said, "Come with me. I'll take you to your plane." Without argument or hesitation, she unbuckled her seat belt, gathered her belongings, and followed him off the aircraft. I sat there in amazement. What struck me was not simply that she had boarded the wrong plane. It was that she was completely convinced she was headed in the right direction. She was seated, buckled in, and ready for takeoff, yet she had no idea where she was actually going. But an even greater truth captured my heart. Although she was unaware of her mistake, someone else had never taken his eyes off her. He followed her every step, pursued her with determination, caught up to her before it was too late, and lovingly asked a simple but life-changing question: "Where are you going?" As I reflected on what had just happened, I  thanked the Holy Spirit for the lesson. How often are we like that passenger? We can become comfortable, settled, and convinced we are headed in the right direction, while unknowingly traveling toward the wrong destination. Yet, in His grace, God pursues us. He calls after us, interrupts our journey, and redirects our steps before we arrive at the wrong destination. Sometimes the most loving question God asks us is also the simplest:"Where are you going?"

God once asked another traveler the very same question. Scripture records (Genesis 16:7–8, NASB): "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, where have you come from, and where are you going?'" Like many families today, Hagar found herself trapped in the middle of painful family conflict. At Sarai's command, she became pregnant by Abram. Instead of finding security, she became the target of mistreatment and contempt. Wounded, pregnant, traumatized, and feeling unseen, Hagar concluded that running away was her only option. But God had another plan. Before Hagar reached her destination, God caught up with her. He met her in the wilderness—not to condemn her, but to rescue her. His first words were not a command but a question: "Where have you come from, and where are you going?" From this remarkable encounter, I have gleaned four profound lessons for every family.

1. God Sees Families

Hagar recognized that "the Angel of the Lord" was none other than God Himself. In response, she gave Him a name never before recorded in Scripture: El Roi—"the God who sees me." This moment is extraordinary. For the first time in the biblical narrative, a human being gives God a name born from personal experience. Notice the beautiful reciprocity in the text. God saw Hagar long before Hagar truly saw God. She discovered that she had never been abandoned or forgotten. Heaven had been watching all along. The same is true for our families. God sees our fears, our disappointments, our trauma, our broken relationships, and our silent tears. Yet He also sees our potential, our healing, our calling, and the future He has prepared for us. He sees His beloved children—not merely for who they are today, but for who they can become through His grace. The invitation is not only to be seen by God, but to learn to see Him with new eyes.

2. God Engages Families

God begins the conversation with a question. He certainly was not seeking information He lacked. Rather, He invited Hagar to tell her own story. God often asks questions because He desires relationship before resolution. He wants to hear our voices. He invites us to express our fears, disappointments, confusion, and hopes. In speaking honestly before Him, we often discover truths about our circumstances, ourselves, and ultimately about God that we could not see before. Healing frequently begins with holy conversation.

3. God Redirects Families

God knew Hagar's destination, but He also knew it was not the destination that would fulfill His purposes for her life. The Lord lovingly redirected her path. God continues to do the same today. He knows where we are headed, even when we do not. When we surrender to His leadership, He not only points us toward the right path—He walks that path with us.His goal has never been merely to give better directions. His desire has always been to travel with His children.

4. God Saves Families

Perhaps the most beautiful part of this story is what God does not do. He does not shame Hagar. He does not lecture her. He does not condemn her. Instead, He pursues her.Everything God does—seeing, engaging, redirecting—is motivated by His desire to restore people into a saving relationship with Himself. Grace always precedes transformation. Like Hagar, we are invited not merely to change our behavior, but to walk with the God who saves. As members of God's family, there are moments when we are convinced we are on the right flight. We have found our seat, fastened our seatbelt, and settled comfortably into life, unaware that we are traveling in the wrong direction. How thankful I am that God:

• knows every destination before we arrive there,

• never takes His eyes off His children,

• refuses to abandon us on the journey,

• and knows exactly when—and how—to catch up with us.

  
  

Perhaps today is one of those moments. Perhaps God has lovingly caught up with you.And perhaps, through these pages, He is asking you the same question He asked Hagar long ago...

"Where are you going?" 

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