Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train, when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached into his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn’t there. He looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn’t find it.
The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.”
Einstein nodded appreciatively.
The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.
The conductor rushed back and said, “Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one.”
Einstein looked at him and said, “Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.”
It’s super important to not only know who we are but where our lives are headed. Without that kind of direction, we will often slog through life without ever accomplishing or becoming who God has called us to be. Someone once said that life without God is like an unsharpened pencil – it has no point.
Paul is now calling each of us, in Ephesians the fourth chapter, to consider whether or not the life we are living is worthy of the gift that was given us. Let’s live our lives in such a way so that when our ticket is punched, we don’t have to worry about where we are going.
