Dear friends in Christ,
I’ve just come back from a three-week solo travel adventure. On this trip, I visited five countries that were new to me: Comoros, Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, and Spain. It was amazing. And it didn’t all go according to plan.
There are lots of reasons I love traveling to see the world. But one of the big reasons is that nearly every trip ends up serving to remind me of a crucial lesson for the Christian life: sometimes our plan doesn’t happen. It may be that our plan and God’s plan are different, or sometimes it may just be as simple as “stuff happens” and we must adjust to new circumstances.
When I travel, I usually have a list of things I want to see or do, with the most important ones at the top of the list. I read about how I will accomplish all these things, and then I set out. But sometimes things happen: a flight is late, a site is unexpectedly closed, there’s a traffic jam, or some other problem.
As I watch my plans evaporate, it can be tempting to get frustrated or even angry. On a good day, I remember that the point of travel is to see new things, not to execute a plan I made back home. Sometimes disruptions or last-minute changes improve my travels in ways I couldn’t imagine. Other times, I miss seeing things I really wanted to visit, and there’s no way to repair the plan.
Perspective is everything. Earlier this year, I was in Japan to see cherry blossoms. I started to get myself worked into a state because the sky was a dull gray instead of the bright blue I had hoped for. And then it clicked: “Scott, you’re in Tokyo seeing amazing cherry blossoms, and they are stunning regardless of the weather.” That’s all I needed. I went back to being delighted in God’s creation.
This lesson from travel applies to larger life, in big and small ways. We can become angry or frustrated that our plan isn’t working. Or we can adjust to the new plan, whatever the cause, and give thanks for God’s presence with us on life’s turns and twists.
I don’t believe the gospel promises that the Christian life will be easy, but the gospel does assure us that God abides with us throughout life’s journey. It’s a lesson I need to learn over and over.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
P.S. Travel photography is a hobby of mine, so if you’d like to see photos from Comoros, Egypt, Morocco, or Spain, have a look.
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