Staying on Track for Greater Joy

I was never a toy-train kid, but my son sure was! I got him his first wooden train tracks when he was two-and-a-half years old. It was so adorable watching him say, “Here we go! Choo-choo!” as he raced his engine over (and sometimes above) the tracks.

Even though I never had playsets like that as a kid, I immediately understood the appeal. I had so much fun coming up with new routes, which of course led me to look for even more sets to buy. I loved finding new bridges or buildings or unique splits, and of course: new trains themselves.

For many months, I was the only one who put the tracks together and then later reconfigured them. After a while, my son was not only excited to watch me assemble them, he wanted to help.

I had a choice to make. I could either stop him from basically taking my job… or support him.

I really enjoyed putting the tracks together myself, but this was ultimately for him. Yet choosing to support him had another benefit. Years later, he would have little brothers. As they grew older, they would become interested in trains as well. Even more satisfying than watching my oldest construct a layout for his own benefit was watching him put one together for him and his brothers to enjoy!

This satisfaction (to a significantly greater degree) was felt by John the Baptist, which he expressed like this:

“It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:29-30 NLT).

This is another example of the upside-down kingdom of God. For many months, John the Baptist was the only one preaching about that kingdom. He was known and respected far and wide. He had a glorious job to do that was announced by an angel before he was even conceived. Why would anyone in such an elevated place want to “become less and less”?

Because he knew when the time came to support the true Messiah, everything was ultimately for Him.

We often pray for God’s purpose in our lives—like a torch we are uniquely equipped to hold that we can hold high. But how often do we pray for God’s purpose in passing that torch? Choosing to support Him has so many benefits, many we do not even consider in the moment. As John modeled: letting God put our routes together—in times of leading and in times of supporting—will put us on track to being filled with so much joy.

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.