If you haven’t read my last article, I would encourage you too. It gives the background to what your about to read. You can find it here: Click Me
Wanderlust – As a child
I always knew that I enjoyed traveling. As a small boy I remember my mom pulling out a giant map of the United States and planning our next vacation. She would highlight our route, circle places of interest and talk to us about the amazing national parks that were waiting to be explored.
After returning from our yearly family vacation, it wouldn’t take long before she would have put together a photo album. Stock full of fun photos, receipts and post cards from the beginning to the end of our trip. Shortly after the photo album was done, the map was on the table. We were dreaming of the next state park, the new animals we would encounter and the hotels we would stay at. She loved traveling and perhaps that’s where my wanderlust started.
Heartache and a new journey
In 2011, I was backpacking with some friends in Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. I returned to my car which had a notification on it, telling me to call my father. I drove 2 hours to get cell service and had a phone call that changed my life. My mom had suddenly and without warning passed away.
Here begins my journey. It started with my life being turned upside down. Up until this point, my life was sheltered. I lived inside a small bubble of security, making it easy to create walls around myself. Those walls kept out pain, discomfort and anything that would threaten my harmony. What I didn’t know was: It was those same walls that kept me from living.
No more walls
This event in 2011 was the real crack that led to the tearing down of those walls. In my mind I had two options. The first was to strengthen and create more walls. I could dive into myself and keep out everything that hurt or could threaten my harmony. This option was devoid of God. The second option was diving into God and not myself. I was a Christian from the age of 5, but I didn’t really understand what being a Christian was all about.
Wanderlust – As a 27 year old
There were many things that I didn’t understand about God. I thought that if I followed God I would be stuck in a box. I didn’t understand that a true relationship with God was more freeing than anything else I could find in the world. Once I understood this and it “clicked” in my mind, I was all in.
The last 3 years of my life I have been to Australia (I lived there for about 2 years), New Zealand, India, Spain, Italy, Mexico and South Africa. Most of these expeditions wasn’t vacation. I was with a mission’s organization, telling people about the God that changed my life. In this time I learned some things about traveling.
The Good
Being exposed to new cultures, people’s, languages, food, religions and more is very important and valuable. Your worldview is most likely wrapped up in the culture you reside. Your life in your small part in the world is very different than how a lot of the world lives. Experiencing this will change you and hopefully change how you live. If you live in a first world country, my encouragement is to go to a third world country.
New experiences while stepping outside your comfort zone is a HUGE benefit. I have learned so much about myself and grown an exponential amount as I travelled. I believe that God wants to get us outside our comfort zones so that we have to rely on Him and not ourselves.
The Bad
Community. As you travel you build small communities around yourself. Whether your in a hostel, a tour group or missions trip you will meet new people and enjoy their company for a short amount of time. The problem is, you know eventually both parties will be going their separate ways. Long lasting community doesn’t happen for the country hopper. In the last year I have really felt the effect of not having a loyal and lasting community around me.
Experiences need to be shared. The lone wanderer can be ok (and perhaps good) for a short amount of time, but eventually a wholesome and long lasting friendship is what everyone needs.
Lastly, returning from a long excursion can be very challenging. The excitement of traveling doesn’t translate into “real life”. Work, money, rent, etc. can become difficult. Also, explaining what the wanderlust person has just faced and finding words to put all the new, amazing and challenging experiences into words can be another challenge.
A challenge for myself and the reader: Allow God to create our worldview and not the culture’s we reside. Let’s allow that to move us into action while allowing God past our walls.
Jason LaLone was on staff at YWAM Brisbane and is currently in America working with Truro Anglican Church located in Fairfax, Virginia. He is passionate about discipleship, taking Jesus’ command to make disciples a practical reality that he can live on a daily basis. He loves lasagna, cats and used to dislike Monday's, making him most like Garfield.
Jason LaLone’s previous articles might be viewed at: http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/Jason-LaLone.html