Do You Know Where You’re Going?

When I was a kid—maybe eight or nine years old—my mom thought it would be a good idea to put me in piano lessons. I loved it! Until I didn’t.

During my short-lived pianist days, I picked up a few simple melodies that have stuck with me over the years—Camptown Races and London Bridge, for example. I also learned some “modern” hits like Ben and Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To?).

Oddly enough, that last one still tumbles around in my head more than it probably should. I can hear Diana Ross crooning:

Do you know where you’re going to?

Do you like the things that life is showing you?

Where are you going to? Do you know?

No, Diana. In fact, I don’t know. But let’s pretend, for the sake of this post, that I do.

---

Setting the Destination

—where do you want to go? What’s your goal?

In life, we all have things we want to achieve. Dreams. Goals. Successes we hope to realize.

And those things take planning. A road map, if you will. Imagine pulling out your phone and opening a navigation app. What destination are you typing in? You quickly realize you must be specific. What’s the address?

General destinations don’t work—just like vague goals don’t. Saying “I want to lose weight” or “I want to vacation somewhere warm” won’t get you anywhere.

---

Owning Your Starting Point

Once I know exactly where I want to go, I also have to figure out where I’m starting. That takes honest reflection.

Every time I plug an address into Google Maps, it also asks where I’m starting from. It’s a great metaphor: you can’t plan an effective route if you don’t know your current reality.

This is the part where you have to own your situation.

Let’s go back to that weight-loss example. A general destination like “I want to lose weight” isn’t enough. It has to be specific: “I want to lose 37 pounds” is better...but....

But life happens. What if you gain 13 pounds along the way? Even if you eventually lose 37 pounds, you might not end up where you expected. Detours happen. Setbacks happen. That’s why clarity about your end goal is so important.

That means stepping on the scale (yes, even when you’d rather not). My goal was 160 pounds. On day one, I begrudgingly stepped onto the scale and closed my eyes. But that gave me both a starting point and a destination. It was time to plan my route.

---

Detours and Recalculations

At first, I was strong and steady. Progress was happening. But then—a detour. Or an accident. (Okay, eating half a birthday cake wasn’t an accident, but for the sake of metaphor, let’s go with it.)

Progress screeched to a halt. Sometimes I even backtracked. But here’s the truth: we always have a choice. We can chose to recalculate the route and continue or we can chose not to and still be stuck in the same place a year from now.

“Recalculating route” became my mantra. Pivot. Circle back. Try again. However you phrase it, the point is the same: keep moving. Don’t quit.

---

Hitting “Recenter”

Sometimes, when chasing a big goal, we fiddle with the map too much. We zoom too far out, trying to see what’s ahead, until we lose sight of where we are right now.

That’s when we need to hit Recenter.

For me, this is a beautiful analogy for my spiritual walk. I’ve often worried so much about what’s coming that I completely lose sight of the moment I’m living in. I forget to enjoy the journey.

But I’m thankful that the Lord offers to RECENTER me anytime I drift.

---

The Next Step Matters Most

As you plan your journey—from your honest starting point to your specific destination—remember this:

Who you are will be defined by the next decision you make, not the last one. 

---

A Final Note

I’ll leave you with a few lines from another song—not one I ever learned on the piano, but one that fits just right:

Carry on, my wayward son,

There’ll be peace when you are done.

Lay your weary head to rest,

Don’t you cry no more.

Scriptures to Consider

• Isaiah 30:21 – “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

• Philippians 3:13-14 – “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 

Reflection Questions

• What is one specific goal you’d like to set for yourself right now?

• What’s your honest starting point for that goal?

• How will you measure progress—and give yourself grace—when setbacks happen?

• Where in your life do you need to hit “Recenter”?