Learn As You Travel
“Travel. As much as you can. As far as you can. As long as you can. Life’s not meant to be lived in one place.” ~ Unknown
Yesterday morning, early — very early — I woke up to pray with and bless on their way many of our 8th grade students who were leaving for Washington, D.C. This annual trip gives the students a chance to learn about the history of our nation and of our government. It helps them to understand what happened to all those who traveled, those many years ago, to a land of promise.
Traveling is a part of our nature. It is in our blood. We love to travel. There are many who are excited about summer vacation coming up because that is the traditional time for families to travel on vacation. Sometimes that travel is purely recreational, sometimes it is mixed with a bit of business, sometimes it can be more educational. No matter how it comes about, that travel gives us a brief respite from the grind of our daily lives.
However, that travel should also provide some kind of educational opportunity. It might be like our 8th grade trip and be dedicated solely to learning about our history. It might be more subtle: learning how to fish, how to camp, how to tie knots, how to swim, how to row a boat, et cetera. The educational can be mixed with recreational. Most experts would say we learn better when the educational component is fun.
We travel through life as well. Our daily journey to the Kingdom should be educational. We should learn more about our faith every day. Yet, our journey should also be fun. In serving others, we often find opportunities to learn. In going to the poor and needy, we realize how incredibly blessed we are. In praying together, we learn that we have a great faith community that is there with us and for us. Worship and service do not have to be bland or boring. They should be fun. It is then that we learn even more.
Live your faith to the fullest today, traveler on the road. Live it with dedication. Live it with intensity. Live it with passion. But, have fun while you do so. It makes the living that much more worth it and enjoyable!
FAITH ACTION: Pray for all those who make their lives traveling, that they may have safe journeys and lead productive and happy lives.