The Constant Traveler

In the beginning of February I went to New Zealand for a week. I know what you’re thinking… a WEEK? That’s it?? Yep, that’s it. Trust me, I’m as sad about it as you are shocked. It was by far one of my favorite trips. I get to travel frequently with work, but this was a vacation. This was all fun and very little work. This was to get away and explore!

We made the most of each single day we had. We woke up most days before the sun and went to bed way too late. Our morning routine was to get coffee to go, maybe a pastry if we were lucky, but most of the time a granola bar in the car would do. We bought bread, PB&J, fruit and some snacks at the grocery store and this was our lunch and maybe some dinners (we didn’t have time to stop in the middle of the day for food… that’s ridiculous). We kayaked the Abel Tasman, ice climbed Fox Glacier, biked through the Marlborough Vineyards, and cruised through Milford Sound. To say we had an adventure would be an understatement. Each day we wondered what the new experience held. Each day had a sense of being completely full all on it’s own. But this isn’t life, right? This was a vacation.

I’m seeing a trend in my generation. A trend to be nomads, to travel the world, to move from one place to the next experiencing everything the world has to offer. I’m envious of this. My week away in New Zealand only solidified that envy. There are many days where I want to give up my great life here and just try it for six months. Sure there are tough days when you are traveling, but usually they are minimized by the next high moment. The next “Oh my goodness, that’s incredible”, view. There’s a certain ease to not committing, not digging in and making an effort to build, maintain, and grow what you have in front of you.

Urban dictionary defines Nomad as – “One without a home who moves around or travels freely without ties holding them back.” Even that definition would say that being a nomad is a positive thing. I mean, who wants to be “held back”? But is a life of commitment, a life of investing in a career, a cause, or a person(s), really holding back?

As I settle back in to my routine, my life, I’ve thought through this question a lot. There are lonely days in the investing. There are messy days in the settling in and building. There are hard days in the pursuing and growing. But I think it’s in those days that we grow, we change, we learn to give a little more of ourselves. It’s in the daily mundane where our character is developed and where our gifts can flourish.

So here’s to all of you who are working hard every day hoping that your time, your energy is counting. Here’s to the Moms and Dads who spend their days teaching the next generation what it means to work hard and leave a legacy. Here’s to the college student who is tending bars at night hoping to earn enough to be able to one day be the next world changer. Here’s to the middle manager who has been faithfully serving each day making themselves indispensable. The years spent giving of yourself a little more are the years that will leave the greatest impact.

Addicted to Suffering?

I’ve had this thought nagging at me for some time. It’s one I can’t shake, but it is also one I haven’t fully resolved; which feels a little scary to write about. The question I have been asking is: “Do we live in a culture that is addicted to suffering?” I think at first glance you might laugh at me… suffering? really? No way, right? 

The Week Before…

The week before a trip is notoriously a challenging week. A team member called to remind me to pray, spend time in the word, and cling to truth during this week. I felt like I was doing pretty good. Then today hit. Shew… Today hit hard. Nothing earth shattering happened, nothing that should have been devastating, nothing that should have affected me. But you know when you can just tell your mood is not pleasant and people should just stay away, far away. That was today.

Nothing went quite right.

I got frustrated quickly.

I was close to tears for no reason.

I was discouraged.

I was feeling unprepared (yet I’m probably the most prepared for a trip, I’ve ever been).

Maybe it was PMS… but I know it was a little enemy who would love for me to be knocked off my course and not take these pastors to Bolivia to see the incredible work the church is doing to raise up healthy, happy, and whole families!

So today I clung to this verse: Romans 4:18 “In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told.” That little phrase in there. Hope against hope. It’s a perplexing one, but it’s so often how I feel.

So when you feel brought down — hope against hope

When you feel at your end — hope against hope

When you look around and can’t see a way — hope against hope

When you don’t have the answers — hope against hope

When lies are louder than the truth — hope against hope

• Hope against hope

A Beautiful Tapestry

“It will be very interesting one day to follow the pattern of our life as it is spread out like a beautiful tapestry. As long as we live here we see only the reverse side of the weaving, and very often the pattern, with its threads running wildly, doesn’t seem to make sense. Some day, however, we shall understand. In looking back over the years we can discover how a red thread goes through the pattern of our life: the Will of God.” || Maria Von Trapp.

The twists and turns of life are hard to explain sometimes, are hard to live wholeheartedly, but it’s with each new thread, each new dip of the needle that God is creating a masterpiece that he calls good. This is surrender. This is trust. This is faith.