Category Archives: Travel

Bible, Christianity, Daily Faith, eternity, Faith, Inspiration, Inspirational, Jesus, Travel

Chasing the Sun

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1 Corinthians 1:12 

For now we see in a mirror dimly,
but then face to face
Now I know in part,     
but then I will know fully,    
 even as I have been fully known.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a vision of this peaceful, green, sparkling forest. The grass is soft and a deep emerald (green) color. The air is cool and the sun is warm. Birds chirp and sing all around. There are no mosquitoes or snakes lurking underneath the bushes. Crystal water shimmers in the distance. 

I feel light. There is no stress or fear or any physical problem. I breathe easily. 

There are deer around, and when I look at them, they look happily back at me. My heart is warm. I’m happy beyond my imagination.

This is my dream place.

I am always and have always wanted PERFECTION, to live in paradise. I think this is what most people in America want when they retire or vacation. 

Maybe your idea of the perfect place is different from mine. Maybe it involves white sand and clear blue beaches or snowy mountains. 

However, the thing that remains the same between all of our paradise dreams is that we CAN NEVER QUITE CAPTURE IT.

Even if we make it to a tropical paradise, we have to return to our normal lives. Even the person who gets to live in a beautiful place will not appreciate it, and will start looking for a NEW KIND OF PARADISE. 

As humans, we are never fully satisfied. Even if we have the perfect moment, surrounded by our loved ones, it will soon come to an end. Tears will come. So will death. The perfect simply cannot last in our human lives.

One day several years ago, I was driving across the United States. I saw the most beautiful sunset in front of me. It was huge and bright orange. The beauty of that sunset captured my attention. I had been driving in my car for several days, only stopping at night to sleep. (Driving across the United States takes a LONG time… it’s a HUGE country!) I was hundreds of kilometers from my friend’s house, where I was going, but all I cared about was that sunset! 

After a few moments, the sun disappeared. It was hiding behind TALL buildings and clouds. The road was turning, so sometimes the sun was behind me. I kept turning onto different roads, just trying to see the sun again, but no matter how many turns I made, I just could NOT see it again. It was gone. I was not following my map anymore! I was turning onto different streets based on where the sun seemed to be hiding.

I will never forget how beautiful the sunset was that evening. Do you know what else I will never forget? I will never forget that after one short glance at the sunset, I never actually saw it again. 

I call that the day that I was literally CHASING THE SUN. 

While driving on that road, looking for the sun, God whispered a message to my heart”

“See, I’ve just given you a glimpse of my glory. You got to see it for a moment, but you will not be able to look at it for very long while you are still in THIS earthly life. My full glory is reserved for eternity. You will see it when I come and take you home. Until then, treasure the glimpses of my beauty that I show you. Pay attention. I show them to you more than you realize. And always remember that THIS WORLD IS NOT YOUR HOME.”

God used a moment of natural beauty to show me how beautiful He is. 

I realized that all those moments where I had stared into the beauty of God’s creation and hoped for my own peaceful, green, sparkling forest, and those moments where I experienced deep love from other people and felt the warmth in my heart of God’s love… all of those wonderful moments were just small glimpses of God’s glory. They were an appetizer before a meal. They were meant to help me see Him and desire Him! They were all gifts. 

I knew then that I would never capture perfect paradise in this life. I realized that the American Dream and “Happily Ever After” like in a fairy tale was not my calling. Not anyone’s calling. I realized that a life without PAIN and STRESS would not be possible. I realized that perfection was not possible until Heaven.

I didn’t understand before that day where I was chasing the sunset that I was experiencing God’s glory through moments of beauty and that it was a gift.

1 Corinthians 1:12 

For now we see in a mirror dimly,     
but then face to face. Now I know in part,    
 but then I will know fully,     
even as I have been fully known.

The glimpse of God’s glory was partial, but the closer I draw to Him the longer and deeper He will allow me to experience His presence. I desire for the day when I will see Jesus face to face and fully know HIM.

The Bible promises that one day, we will BE FULLY KNOWN by God and that WE WILL FULLY know God. To be known and understood deep in our souls is our greatest desire. It will fulfill all of the longings on our heart. 

Remember that everybody has GOD-SIZE HOLE in their hearts. We are all trying to fill it with something. But when we draw close to Jesus, He will draw close to us. He will KNOW us and He will not reject us. 

But we will still have trouble. We will not be able to be perfect or find perfection. But when we are “face to face,” we will be in complete relationship with God. We will be known by Him and know Him fully. That is what will fill the God-sized hole in our hearts.

Let us pursue Jesus. Let us trust Jesus to satisfy our souls and understand that nothing will fully satisfy us until we get to Heaven and get to know Him FULLY.

Chasing the sun that evening changed my life. What beauty is God showing you?

International Travel, Singleness, Travel

TODAY, I PUT ON PANTS.

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It may not seem newsworthy, but do you remember the excitement of field trip day? The disappointment when you find out where you’re going. BUT the anticipation the night before REGARDLESS of where you’re going. It doesn’t really matter in the end because you still get out of class. You can’t sleep. You can’t eat. Or you can’t stop eating. You know your crush will be there. You get up early even though you’re sleep deprived. You shower. Put on makeup. Or gel your hair. Whatever your version of vanity is. Your cutest, but casual-est outfit. “This old thing!” Your lipstick. 

You know your destination itself won’t be much. A play like you’ve gone to every year since 6th grade. A museum. Another museum. The zoo. You are way too excited for the monotony of this field trip. And yet, you don’t care. You are just giddy to get out. To get out to DIFFERENT. Something new. Anything new is stimulating when compared to the wrong shade of blue lockers you face every day as you walk from the bus lot to first period.You take a selfie. You take five. 

You walk too fast or too slow, all for a purpose. I walked slow. I saw my friend Egypt in the hallway. She left five minutes before me. She turned left in the hallway to find a stairwell leading outside. I was told to be there five minutes after her, so I waved goodbye and good luck and took a picture of HER happy dance as she trotted down the hallway. She was excited for field trip day too.

Egypt tasting freedom for the first time in nearly two weeks! Me, realizing it was too early to actually leave my apartment.

I paced back and forth in my apartment, waiting until it was my time to leave. My friend, Jen, who was scheduled to leave at the same time as me texted me a few minutes early. “You leaving yet?” I checked my eye liner in the mirror. Smiled. Pulled my government issued mask over my nose and texted back, “Now.”

Masks: The new lipstick!

As I entered the hallway, I had a choice to make. Left or right. When I arrived here 12 days ago, it was nearly midnight and I took the elevator. This time, we weren’t allowed to take the elevator. We were told to walk to a stairwell and only use the stairwell. I didn’t know for sure where the stairwells were exactly or which stairwell was closest, and I definitely wanted the one that the furthest away. 

You see, this IS the field trip. Getting dressed up. Looking out the window. Seeing your quarantine partners doing their happy dance, 12 feet apart, as they each take their turn. 

View out my sun closet window. The anticipation is almost too much!

Now it was my turn. I exited my room and watched as my door shut for the first time. Ever. I heard the electronic click. Can I get back in? I should try. I entered the code as shown, and it unlocked. I smiled and let it close again.

I turned right. 

It appeared to be the furthest away from our destination. I walked slowly but quickly. Quickly enough to feel the freedom. Slowly enough to make it last.

I met Jen at the door. We stayed six feet apart but chatted as we approached the field just outside our building. A Korean man with a mask waved at us. His eyes smiled. He asked our names and then directed us to sit, very far apart, not facing one another, under the covered seats. “How is your quarantine going!?” he asked. Jen responded that she liked quarantine. She “thrived” in it. It’s her third quarantine. Then, I spoke.

“I’m grateful I get to do this in my own apartment!” A pause. Silence. A thumbs up from the Korean man in a mask.

I continued. “And I’m excited to be out here! I’m wearing pants for the first time in two weeks.”

There was laughter. (I do wear pants, just mostly pajama shorts but it’s all about the story, right!?)

Then Egypt approached with a giant smile on her face. Her field trip was more than halfway over. She did another happy dance. Slowly. But with glee. With freedom in her eyes. She’s on day 13. “How was it?” “Great,” she probably said.

Aren’t her smiling eyes the best!?

Jen was supposed to go next, but I was closer and they did not want our paths to cross due to possible infection, so they let me go first.

This time there was a chair. Probably wise.

As they shoved the stick down my throat, I gagged. I think the staff in full PPE laughed and jumped backwards. Then they put a stick up my nostrils. I made noises to help. It wasn’t painful. It was… pleasant. Pleasant like the end of women’s exam. The experience itself is miserable, but when it’s over, you’re so glad it’s over, and you know it means that you don’t have to do this again for a long time. That is the kind of pleasantness I felt during this COVID TEST field trip. 

Jen getting her Covid test!

Freedom is coming soon.

My happy dance! Look, I’m wearing pants! (And a cute shirt my aunt Victoria gave me!)

I hope it’s negative!

Curious how I spent quarantine? Stay tuned. It’s coming.

I hope.

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