Category: Travel

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Being a Witness

A toucan with its beak open, perched on a branch.
Photo: RAFAEL BARRETO from Pexels
John 20:18 (ESV)—Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

A clack traveled through the Costa Rican rainforest. Where is it? I wondered. Minutes later, the sound came a second time. The toucans were speaking to each other.

Like toucans use calls to communicate with their flock, Mary Magdalene sought Jesus with her cries. In John 20, she thrice asked about Jesus’ missing body. She spoke to the disciples, to two angels, and to the supposed gardener, but the only answer came from the gardener—her Teacher, her Rabbi, whom she recognized when he spoke her name. The risen Jesus replied to a member of his flock when she called—and she became the first witness to the Risen King.

Did you hear that? When Mary called, Jesus responded! First, he spoke her name and then replied with the command to “tell them” (John 20:17).

This scene assures us that when we dialogue with Jesus, he’ll respond. In our devastation or joyfulness, Jesus has an answer and, when he speaks our name, we become witnesses of our God who listens and responds.

How awesome is that?! Seeking God and listening for his response begin our journey to becoming a witness for Christ. His response becomes our account of his love, the substance for our witness. Today, let us go and announce words similar to Mary’s: “I have [heard] the Lord” (John 20:18).

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Laying Aside Expectations

A snake in Costa Rica on the forest floor 
Jeremiah 42:10 (ESV)—If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I relent of the disaster that I did to you.

The sloths, it seemed, did want to meet my expectation of big sloths, little sloths, sloths everywhere, hanging onto tree limbs, at a non-eye-straining distance in the rainforest canopy.

The sloth in the canopy of the Costa Rican rainforest looked more like a squirrel’s nest. The creature lay in a crook of branches, unmoving, the details of its fur visible only through a spotting scope.

Later in the guided nature walk, a baby sloth clung to a tree (or so the guide said), camouflaged in vines so well my eyes did not behold its cuteness.

And as if to tease me about the park’s name, Sloth Park, other creatures revealed themselves: a poisonous tree frog, a viper, plain chachalacas (a type of ground bird), and a bird of black feathers and bright red belly.

Speaking of expectations, the remnant of Judah in Jeremiah 42—survivors of Ishmael’s brutal slaughter of their governor, Gedeliah—held high expectations for settling in Egypt. Their minds conjured a peaceful land with tables full of bread. Yet God’s answer to Jeremiah’s prayer on their behalf did not meet their intention to settle in Egypt (Jeremiah 41:17). When God said stay and live in Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem or go and die in Egypt, the leaders accused Jeremiah of lying (Jeremiah 43:2) and led the people, including Jeremiah, to Egypt.

We are fortunate to live under God’s watchful eye (Jeremiah 24:6) when our expectations contrast with his plan. To receive clear, exact instructions from God is a blessing, for sure, and by acting on his command, we await his best to play out in our lives. Our anticipation, then, becomes, how will he build us up and how will he plant us, rather than how can God meet our expectations?

With these questions in mind, how do we lay aside our expectations? By living out God’s command, which support us in awaiting his plan. For example, we might memorize and study a verse of Scripture that reminds us of his plan (e.g., Jeremiah 29:11), seek joy in our trials (James 1:2), or pray then pray some more (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Yes, the Bible is our guidebook to setting aside our expectations and living our best life.

Plain chachalachas in a rainforest in Costa Rica
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Remembering God’s Faithfulness

Landscape view of distant mountains with a foreground of trees framing the mountain 
Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)—Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

I struggled with the Lookout Trail near Asheville. The stairs with 12-inch rises tested my muscular endurance, and the 623-feet elevation change in 1.4 miles strained the capacity of my lungs.

Still, I climbed upward and stopped, more than once, to catch my breath. All the while, my mind conjured the question, was the view at the top worth the struggle of climbing a mountain?

If I asked this question to the writer of Hebrews, the answer is yes, the struggle is absolutely worth it. The Christians in Hebrews wanted to cling to their old sacrificial system, which required repeat sacrifices, but they did not need to. Instead, to let go, they needed to remember the times their faith yielded joyfulness and compassion in the face of reproach.

In other words, our perseverance comes from remembering God’s faithfulness during our struggles. The memories color our future with strongly rooted trunks to help us ascend the path, and each step leads us closer to the panoramic view of “a better possession and an abiding one” (Hebrews 10:34).

With this reward and these memories in mind, we can walk with confidence along the difficult path because we know he’ll be faithful until the end.

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Delighting in Wondrous Things

A white-washed church with a blue top 
Psalm 119:18 (ESV)—Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

A paved path of cobblestones and marble winds through the white-washed buildings in Fira. The Aegean blue rooftops and yellow and red bougainvillea add pops of color to the white landscape. Shop owners greet passersby while setting up displays of scarves, clothing, and jewelry, and restaurant managers beckon the tourists to eat at their establishments. The photo-perfect Greek experience spills before the tourist’s eyes while they wander the town and gaze toward Oia in the distance.

This characteristic picture of Greece, all white-washed buildings and blue rooftops, is pretty but inadequate to represent the whole country. There is more than picturesque Santorini when we open our travel schedule to the whole country: olive groves in the countryside, the colorful medieval village of Nafplio, rock formations topped with monasteries in Meteora, not to mention Athens.

As in travel, opening our eyes to the “wondrous things” helps us discover an all-powerful God who wants his servants to find delight in obeying his Word. The psalmist in Psalm 119 expressed desire to keep God’s word and counted himself as insufficient to see the wondrous things in God’s law without God’s guidance.

Like the psalmist, we are inadequate to understand God’s statutes without his sufficiency. God teaches us Truth to ingrain in us a longing to obey his perfect Word. In this, our obedient relationship, God reveals the wondrous things of his law—a generous Father who wants us to see his sufficiency.

Without God, the wondrous things of his law remain hidden. To see these Truths and delight in his law, we can admit our inadequacy to God and then commit to studying his Word. Our study may include praying for understanding before and after we read his words, studying the context of scripture, and reading commentaries to clarify his messages. This deeper learning strengthens our relationship with God, who shows goodness to his obedient servants.

A cafe in Nafplio with a pink exterior and bougainvillea hanging against the wall
Nafplio
A cityscape of Athens from on top of a hill, looking out to sea
Athens
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Adventuring Solo

A pair of cats resting under a bougainvillea bush.
Luke 5:16 (ESV)—But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

“I’m going on a solo adventure,” I announced to my husband in our hotel room on Santorini. Not a full one-person vacation but a stretch of time alone in Megalochori before we attended a wedding—where there were people and my anxiety wanted to make an appearance.

With a goodbye kiss to my husband, I strapped my camera around my neck and invited the Holy Spirit into my walk. God met my need for peace and calm with the quiet morning hour. I passed tavernas not yet open for the day, saying hello to the Greek matriarch sitting in a chair outside a restaurant. I explored the nooks and crannies of white-washed homes and businesses, beckoning Santorini’s cat population to pose for photos.

Retreats like this in our day-to-day provide rest to our spirits. Jesus, too, restored his spirit through quiet time with God. He retreated from the hustle and bustle of the crowds who expected healing. Without such rest, the human side of him would have experienced exhaustion, mentally, physically, spiritually, and/or emotionally.

Like Jesus, we can better be present for others when we’re present for ourselves. Caring for ourselves honors God because he created us with a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). He made us to steward his creation, not to fall over from fatigue—the fall did that.

Our lives are busy, true. Things to do, people to see. Yet to carve out a time to walk and pray during a quiet time of day, meditate on a section of the Bible, write a list of things we’re thankful for, or do another practice can provide us the rest we need to serve others better in Christ’s name.

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Seeking the Fruit on the Branches

Grove of orange trees with fruit on the ground and among the branches 
Psalm 119:17 (ESV)—Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.

The oranges on the ground beneath the trees in the National Garden beckoned my stomach to growl. Saliva filled my mouth, an image of that morning’s orange pie stamping itself on my brain. I wondered out loud to my husband, “Do you think it’s okay to pick it up and eat it, or will I get in trouble?”

Why did I wonder this? Because we were strolling next to the Greek Parliament building and my mind conjured the fruit police swooping in. And, quite honestly, I thought it a waste to let the fruit sit on the ground and rot. Why let the ants devour it when the sweet citrus could fill my belly instead?

My stomach had the wrong idea, though. Why was I seeking the fruit on the ground when the tree still nourished the fruit hanging from the branches? The spiritual answer to this question comes from Psalm 119.

In this praise-filled poem, the anonymous writer extolled the transformative power of obeying God’s decrees when, post-exile, many of the people of Israel still sought the fruit on the ground (idols, for one) rather than the fruit in the tree (God’s promise of redemption and restoration).

Like the poet, we share a relationship with the Lord and become beneficiaries of his promises by putting his principles into practice. Our inheritance includes the benefit of his wisdom, which helps us understand why we’re obeying him.

Truly, seeking the fruit hanging from the branches fills us with the confidence to obey our kind, generous, and merciful God. Seeking him is as simple as turning to the Bible for guidance, asking the advice of a trusted fellow Christian, or praying—because God is waiting for us to open the page, ask the question, or make the request so he can answer.

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Crying Out to God

A dilapitated door with a hole in the middle that shows a dilapidated building 
Psalm 31:21-23 (ESV)—Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

Her distress tolled like a battle cry in the airplane cabin. A few hours into a ten-hour flight from Chicago to Athens, the toddler sitting behind me bolted from her seat into the aisle, screaming, “I don’t want to go to bed; I want to walk around!” Though her parents sat her back down and tried to console her, she resisted bedtime with resounding cries and rambunctious seat kicks.

And she’s not alone in her feelings. In Psalm 31, David remembered feeling abandoned while in a “besieged city” and recounted his initial response: “I am cut off from your sight.” His fear assailed him like the despair a child felt when not sleeping in her own bedroom.

Thankfully, hopelessness and alarm do not have to rule over us. An honest, open relationship with God places us in the protection of his grace and mercy. We can pray to him and know he’ll hear and respond.

Because of this knowledge, we do not have to hunker down in fear of the besiege happening around us. Our alarm is not a signal to dive for cover; it is a sign to call out to God. Our prayer can be “I want to walk with you” rather than “I am cut off from your sight.”

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Building With Care

Buildings in Old San Juan with metal balconies, wooden shutters on the windows, and various colors of paint, orange, aqua, light blue, lighter blue, and pink.
1 Corinthians 3:8–9 (ESV)—He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.

A neighborhood restaurant sat alongside a couple of bars, a bakery, and barricaded buildings in the San Agustin neighborhood of San Juan. A stroll a few blocks north or south to the main roads revealed gas stations and everyday businesses. A twenty-plus-minute walk west to Old San Juan showed restaurants, nightlife, ice cream shops, and chocolate bars.

After witnessing this shift, I began to think Puerto Rico builds from the outside in. And that makes sense, to first build up the tourist areas—their livelihood.

I think they are building with care, like Paul told the Corinthians to. He explained his role as a builder of foundations and the people’s role to build on that foundation. In other words, he shared the news of salvation with the Corinthians and told them that they had a responsibility to perform their role and that the quality of their work mattered.

According to Paul, spiritual growth starts on the outside with shedding worldly ways. Without shedding these, we are still built on the foundation of Christ, but paying more attention to our worldly efforts doesn’t move us toward Christ. Putting in the effort to develop our God-given role benefits ourselves as well as others, for everything God does through the church helps all. Our responsibility is to perform our role to the best of our ability, with the tools he gives us, in the world we live in.

We can think of developing our role in Christ like developing a tourist destination with restaurants and shops. The beauty of the building draws people in. The excellent customer service and good food keep them coming back. When this succeeds, more buildings can be constructed farther into the city, all on the foundation of Christ.

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Gathering in Christ’s Name

A gathering of prairie dogs in Prairie Dog Town at Devils Tower National Monument
A prairie dog peeking out of its burrow
A prairie dog standing on its hind legs
Acts 10:33 (ESV)—"So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

They stand on mounds of dirt, stick their heads out of burrows, and generally scamper about the grassy field known as Prairie Dog Town. I lift my camera and aim the lens at the prairie dog peeking out of its burrow. Another sits yards away, chewing on the grass. Still another sits upright, head moving side to side as if in search of danger.

Without this keystone creature, the ecosystem at Devils Tower National Monument and nearby Badlands National Park could collapse. The black-footed ferret could starve without its meal of prairie dog, burrowing owls couldn’t claim abandoned prairie dog burrows for homes, and the grass would grow tall and prevent other plants from sprouting.

Likewise, without the keystone of community, the wheels of Christianity could stop turning. Without gatherings, there is no listening, no sharing. Without the exchange of information, truth remains hidden in the shadows.

For Simon Peter, an invitation to share the gospel turned into a learning experience when the truth came out of the shadows. He recognized salvation was not only for Jews but also for Gentiles—for everyone!

For sure, gathering in Christ’s name causes the wheels of Christianity to move. Community creates a space of listening and learning, of sharing and hearing—a place where God reveals truth.

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Allowing God to Lift Us

Devils Tower National Monument in the background of a grove of pine trees.
Psalm 27:5 (ESV)—For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

Though there are many formation theories of Devils Tower National Monument, my favorite is the Native American belief the Great Spirit made the rock rise from the ground to save a pair of girls running from giant bears. The steep rock lifted the girls too high for the bears to climb and the striations in the rocks are claw marks from the bears trying to chase the girls. (See the NPS website for the complete story and other stories.)

Like the Great Spirit, God lifts us from danger to put us in a place of safety. He lifted Noah and his family in an ark to survive the flood. He lifted people from the alienating bonds of sickness. He even lifted people from death.

Because God has our best in mind, we can trust he will lift us high on a rock in times of tension. In this safe space, we experience comfort in loss, celebration in overcoming, peace amid anxiousness, love during loneliness, and release of fear.

For these things and so much more, our God is worthy of praise. Today, let’s tell him the strife we’re facing and allow him to lift us high upon a rock.