Growing up I preferred comfort. I didn’t really enjoy change or trying new things. There are a couple exceptions to this, but for the most part I really enjoyed being comfortable. As I have grown up, I have realized that comfort is not the ultimate goal. The Divine does not call us to be comfortable. In fact, I believe that God calls us to reach into the depths of our soul for strength to push beyond comfort and into challenge, and change.
Traveling is a huge part of my life. I didn’t fall in love with traveling though until I turned 18. When I graduated high school, my Dad gave me a gift to travel anywhere for two weeks. I chose London and Paris. It wasn’t until this trip that I fell in love with the beauty of traveling. All throughout my 20’s I have traveled and been to 14 different countries. It has been the greatest gift to spend my 20’s growing in a way that is so unique. When you travel internationally, it is uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong though, traveling is magnificent and magical. There are a lot of aspects of traveling though that aren’t glamorous and don’t get posted on the social media reel.
Here’s the thing though, traveling opens up new worlds filled with beauty encompassing different cultures, languages, food, dances, architecture, and nature. Traveling opens up your soul to the possibility that change, and differences aren’t always negative. It is the gift of humility. It allows us to experience different ways of life and think, wow, maybe I’ve been doing it wrong all along. Or maybe there isn’t just one correct way to live. Maybe there is magic to be unraveled with diversity in thought, language, and culture.
Travel allowed me to experience the world at new depths and more specifically to experience God’s love at new levels. I found that within those moments, where I am offered an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, there was a newfound love. Love for the world, love for people, and love for God. In my humility, I opened up a treasure box of gifts overflowing with joy.
I have met some of the coolest people in places I’ve traveled and I’m sure there are so many more to come. I have experienced the most breathtaking landscapes, like Machu Picchu. I have run into the most incredible art museums. I have journeyed across different lands to meet foreign people with different ways of life. I have seen their joy, and I have experienced the brokenness of their world. It has also given me clarity when looking at my own life. Celebrating the joys and lamenting the brokenness of living in the U.S.
Travel does so many things to grow our souls, our bodies and our minds. It gives us glimpses of the diversity of the Kingdom of God. It highlights the beauty of celebrating our differences and opening our doors to change. After many years of traveling internationally, I still get nervous before each trip. There is anxiety when encountering new things and not knowing the language or the culture. However, I always come back to the truth; that I would rather push up against my comfort zone and enter into these moments on international trips in order to experience the beauty of the unknown and the different.
As I am preparing to leave for another international trip soon, I find myself confronting the anxiety once again and diving into truth. The truth that diversity builds us up in a way nothing else can. The truth that humility is important to cultivate. The truth that traveling ignites my soul in a way nothing else can. Finally, the truth that I deeply experience God on these trips as I travel into the unknown and the different with a heart to love and a desire to grow.
