Define Travelling
It seems strange to be writing a ‘travel’ blog since I’ve been here in London for the last few months. But I guess the ‘journey’ doesn’t end just because the backpacks stay unpacked.
I travelled to Sydney for a few weeks in October in order to get a visa which allows me to live and work here in the UK. Praise God it was granted (in record time too!), and I was able to return to London and my wonderful husband with absolutely no hitches. I spent three great weeks catching up with friends and family after my year long absence (there was a lot to discuss!). But they’ve reminded me how wonderful they are, and now I miss them all the more.
Mind you I missed my husband terribly and I’ve been very glad to be back with him. I’m now hunting for a job (I gave up looking weeks ago), and trying desperately to trust God with it, and with my life. I think perhaps trusting God is a journey that will never end, not in this life anyway.
‘Trust’ – noun
1. Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
2. Confident expectation of something; hope.
3. A person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.
4. Something committed or entrusted to one's care for safekeeping.
It comes from the word ‘trost’ meaning ‘comfort’. If we are to ‘trust’ God we should utilise the full benefit of that trust. We should rely on His integrity, strength, ability, surety. We should be confident in Him. We should commit ourselves into His Trust for safekeeping. We should find comfort in the fact that He is God and in Him we can trust.
I’m finding it hard being away from home at the moment. There is much going on with my family, and although there would be nothing for me to do even if I were there, I feel very far away. Having to entrust the people I love into God’s (more than capable) hands is a task I find myself doing daily, hourly even. It’s one thing to trust God with our own lives, but to let Him take control of the lives, and deaths, of those we love can sometimes be a much harder thing to do.
‘Travelling’ – verb
1. To go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey.
2. To move or go from one place or point to another.
3. To proceed or advance in any way.
The word ‘travel’ comes from the word ‘travail’ - to toil or labour. It’s a word rooted in pain and exertion.
Travelling is not the same as taking a holiday. In the past year I’ve learnt that travelling is tiring, and whilst you certainly enjoy yourself, at times the adventure of travelling can be scary and unpleasant. Travelling is being taken from one place to another (physical or emotional), usually through some pain or discomfort, but for the greater good and pleasure; a re-birthing as it were.
I know that even though I’m not physically travelling, I’m still travelling within myself. I know God is birthing something in my life, because it hurts. But I also know that God is always working for the good of those who love Him. That he prunes and disciplines those He loves. He is making us into beautiful works of art. Twisting the broken metal framework of our lives into a sculpture of Grace. But the metal is hard and stubborn, and to bend it takes heat, and strength, and try as we might we can’t bend it ourselves. We need someone whose strength is limitless, whose fire burns bright. He does not leave us in the dark.
It is a dangerous prayer to ask God to shape your life. It will hurt in many ways. We will have to surrender ourselves to the Artist’s hands, and trust in Him to complete a good work in us. I pray I have the courage to ask it of Him again and again, to trust in His hand even when I can’t see it. To trust in His voice even when I can’t hear it. To trust in His Word even when I don’t understand it.
A time is coming, and sooner than we think, when all this will fade away. The pain of this world will be a distant memory as we look into our maker’s eyes. And with a bit of perseverance in this world, our master will look at us and say "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"
