Have you ever taken a road trip over several days? Pulled out a map and penciled in where you were starting, where you wanted to be at the end of each day, and where you were ultimately going? You didn’t stop when you hit your first overnight stay, did you? You might have been happy to get there and enjoyed getting out of the car and stretching your legs, but you had your eye on your final destination!

In Paul’s letter to the Colossian church, he’s writing to a young group of believers. They were devoted to growing in Christ, but were surrounded by people who were trying to steer them onto side streets and put roadblocks in their way to keep them from moving forward in their relationship with Christ. In this short letter, packed full of practical wisdom for our own faith journey, Paul speaks specifically to the obstacles that can hinder our growth and directs us to stay focused on Jesus, who empowers us so we can grow to be more like Him.