I’ve officially been gone for a little over two months, the longest I’ve ever been away from home. In many ways, I can’t believe so little time has passed and yet much has happened. But I also feel like we just left yesterday. Our days are so full that time has a way of flying by. Traveling and transition have become the norm; some days I worry I’ll never be able to go back to being “settled.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of wandering. I’ve always loved that verb and its many meanings and implications. A few quotes/lyrics come to mind:
“Not all who wander all lost.”
“Take me deeper than my feet can ever wander.”
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.”
This word has become a bit of a constant in my life. In fact, I even considered getting it tattooed on my body (don’t worry Mom and Dad, I decided against it). I used to worry about this urge in me to be in constant motion, this desire to wander. I thought I had a fear of commitment or an inability to connect. I feared my love of change meant I didn’t want true connections. But being on the Race has taught me differently.
I think we’re all meant to have a solid dose of wanderlust. We weren’t meant for this world, after all. Our time on earth is meant to be temporary. And while we are here, our sole focus should be to serve God and exemplify Christ in whatever shape that takes for each one of us. That goal requires us to be willing to change our plans, to shift gears, to become unsettled. I’ve heard it said that we are but vessels for the Gospel, carriers of God’s kingdom here on earth. If a vessel never leaves port, what purpose does it have?
As we begin our third month in Thailand, I want to fully embrace the concept of wandering. It doesn’t mean I am unable to commit; rather, I am committing to certain ideas and expectations many people are fearful of. I am committing to whimsy, to adventure, to experience. I am agreeing to holding my plans with an open hand, ready to give them over to the Master Planner whenever they don’t fit within His will. And I am promising to make His heart my home and His glory my settling place. No matter where He sends me – be it 9 more countries or living in one place for the next 50 years – I want to live as a wanderer, as someone willing to drop everything and go where He calls because I know that my stability comes from the Lord.
