I never thought I’d be sick of travelling. Ever since I travelled for the first time as a kid and made it a long-term goal as a young adult to see every country in the world, I’ve loved to travel. However moving from country to country for the past 16 months, my desire to travel has diminished tremendously. That’s not to say I will never travel again as I’m sure I will venture to a new destination every summer, but my reason for visiting a new place has changed as I believe I’ve finally figured the true meaning and purpose behind why I travel.
Travelling has meant so many different things to me as I’ve grown up:
- Travelling as a kid was all about seeing new things and having fun with the family.
- Travelling as a youth was all about learning how to work in teams, practising what the bible taught and learning the importance of going to share the good news of the gospel on mission trips.
- Travelling as a young adult was all about exploring new places, meeting new people and ticking off more places I had been around the world.
- Travelling as a world racer has been about finding my identity in Christ, recognising my flaws and relying on the Holy Spirit to reshape them to be more Christ-like, practising what it means to put Jesus first by sharing His love with all people and learning how to live in community.
Now as an adult and soon to be an ex-racer, my purpose for travelling has changed. I never realised what it was until I started writing this but I meet God every time I travel. My family and friends always ask me to come home and settle down, and sometimes, I wonder if I really am wasting my money to see new places when I could be using it for something more purposeful. However the truth is, I experience God so fully in my mind, heart and soul when I’m travelling. God meets me every time when I enter an unfamiliar place and I need to solely rely on Him. I’ve never realised how much I crave that. I need to meet Him and no amount of money would stop me from doing so. A series called “5 ways to grow in your faith” by Andy Stanley talks about 5 ways to experience God and one is about putting yourself in situations where you will meet God and travelling for me is just that.
This is the reason why I love travelling and will continue to use money to travel because I need to meet God. I know He can be met in different ways and situations, but for me, He meets me every time I visit a new and unfamiliar part of the world. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
I see God’s creativeness and attention to detail every time I see nature, in particularly sunsets and mountains.
God’s joy and excitement rushes through me every time I hear live music on the streets or see street art displayed in alleyways.
God grows my patience every time I wait at the airport, train or bus station or when I’m on a two-day bus ride to my next destination.
He challenges my generosity and kindness every time I see a homeless beggar on the street and tests me to rely on His strength and endurance when I’m walking for miles in a 40-degree day.
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I’m consciously conversing with Him every time I’m exploring an unfamiliar part of the world alone, and every new person I meet and befriend, I get a taste of God’s perfection, uniqueness and love.
God stretches me and pushes me to trust Him more when I travel than when I’m back home where everything is familiar. Through conversation, seeing new sights, experiencing new things, and sharing life and Jesus’ love with the people I meet, I get to meet God. I get to do life with Him, experience more of His amazing love and creation and see the bible come alive as I put it into practice.
How do you meet God? Do you put yourself in situations where you can?
God wants to meet you. All He wants is for you to want it too!
