I travel on a full time basis. I enjoy traveling and seeing new places; revisiting much loved cities and being with friends around the world. I don’t mind traveling alone either. It’s quite nice and I can go at my own pace. My travels have mostly been in Europe where I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower, the coliseum, and Mars Hill in Athens. I’ve seen the Mediterranean and where the apostle Paul was shipwrecked in Malta. I’ve seen the beauty of Prague and the majestic Alps, and the Berlin wall. I’ve also visited the Taj Mahal and the Sea of Galilee. The one place I’ve never been though is “out there,” and that’s the place where I really want to go.
You see “out there” is where God, in a completely uncharacteristic way, is hiding and keeping my perfect mate away from me. (See the last blog for my thoughts on perfection!) I’ve heard countless times that somewhere “out there” God has someone for me. I’ve been told that he is just “out there” waiting for me. It’s even been suggested that I should go “out there” and find him and stop waiting for him to come to me. However, no matter how much I travel I just can’t seem to find this secret land called Out There. In fact, I’m starting to think it’s not even real.
There are a lot of fun facts about “out there” namely that only single people seem to live there, yet, interestingly enough, no one in “out there” seems to marry. If you live there you remain single forever. Weird isn’t it? Also, it seems that you cannot enter or leave this place whenever you want, but in a Narnia type way you have to wait for a secret passage way to open up to you.
This whole blog is rather absurd and ridiculous but so is suggesting to your single friends that the only other potential mates left to them are hiding and/or residing in vague places like “out there.” God knows where I live and where I am each day of the month – He keeps up with my schedule in a way that my own father cannot. God is not hidden from us and so, therefore, I have a hard time believing that God is hiding people from us either. God has a lot to do and I just really don’t think He spends His time keeping me away from the “right” person. Do you?
My real thought about traveling alone to destinations unseen (such as “out there”) is that God has set me on a journey – me and Him. Yes, traveling alone can be frustrating and lonely at times. It can wear you down and make you question God’s plan, but it has its good moments too.
The other day I took an unplanned journey by train. There were 4 unmarked train tracks and my train departed from track 5. Can you feel my confusion? I asked several times which track was for Budapest and finally found the right track. In the process of crossing over 3 other train tracks though I lost hold of the bags and they fell causing me to break 2 fingernails (life is so hard) and look like a complete idiot. It was not my finest hour. So now I’m about to climb into the train and the plan was to throw the laptop bag to the top of the steps and then pick up the suitcase and climb the steps with it. However, when I went to throw the laptop bag to the top the man in front of me reached out and grabbed it. I said thank you and went for the suitcase but before I could pick it up this same man grabbed it and lifted it to the top of the stairs and onto the train. He led me to a seat and placed my bags there and then walked on. The bags are quite heavy and I was so grateful to have had this man’s help. I set down and felt the Lord saying that in the same way He’ll take my heavy burdens if I’ll lift them up to Him.
Life is a journey and it’s too tiring to carry around bags of regret and frustration and bitterness about being single and never finding this person “out there”. So I don’t carry them. Living a single life isn’t easy but I don’t have to bear it alone. I can lift my burdens to God and let Him carry them.
Bottom line – “Out there” doesn’t really exist (gasp, shock), but adventure along the journey of life does. Get rid of what’s weighing you down and keeping you back from living the incredible life God has planned for you. Happy travels!
