Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Travel

Lately when I travel, I've found the experience to be deeply moving. And especially when I travel alone, my senses seem to be more in tune with spiritual truth than usual. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that, by simply stepping foot in the airport, I am entering a sort of limbo which can only be exited by reaching my destination. I am already gone from where I used to be, but have not yet arrived where I am going. For the extent of my travel, I live between two worlds, without really being part of either one. I am a sojourner, a pilgrim, seeking her way home.

As I step into this black hole where time seems to come to a standstill, mundane distractions melt into a fog, and I am suddenly alone with my thoughts. As my eyes feast on the beauty and the minute detail of God's creation spread out beneath me, I marvel at the imagination of my Creator, who has not only surrounded my life with physical beauty, but who has opened my eyes to see his spiritual beauty as well. I marvel at the laws of aerodynamics which keep this aircraft thousands of feet up in the air. I wonder at the delicate intricacy of each different kind of cloud. And I am humbled.

My heart wells up in praise. In such a world, what is man? Why do you pay attention to us? Why do you care for us? Why do you fill our lives with so many blessings?

And then the landing gear makes contact, I alight from this time warp with life taking up where it left off, and I run the risk of forgetting to express what has welled up in my soul.

Thank you.

1 comment:

Darrin said...

Isn't that life for so many of us? Caught between looking forward to something, then either being disappointed in the anti-climax, or immediately looking past it to the next hope, pseudo or otherwise. Mom used to tell me, when I was wishing it was my birthday, "Don't wish your life away!" Right now is all we have, besides our past, which we can affect with our limited reigns over our selves, whether bodily or mentally. Right now let me live what was intended.