The only trip worth taking

I never gave much thought to the reasons people take trips. Aside from business, visits, emergencies, pleasure or to get away from it all, what other excuses did people use for getting away? What rewards did excursions provide?

In a movie I recently watched, a young man named Luke went on a journey to find answers to his life's dilemma. "To sort things out" in his head, he said. Luke finally came back home to face his father, the reason he thought he had to get away. Upon returning and trying to make peace with his parent, the meeting failed to go as planned. His father was unable to forgive him, so the young man planned to leave again -- to continue licking the wounds of rejection.

As the boy talked it out with his friend John, he realized he must first face the demon inside. "Sometimes it helps to let your feelings out," John said. "Then you can figure things out better." Luke actually felt unwarranted guilt concerning the death of his brother.

Until he could forgive himself, his father's pardon would make little difference. He first had to find the genuine reason for his misery and restlessness. As John listened, he advised Luke to "face what was inside him -- to stop running away." Then John made a life-changing statement: "To me, the only trip worth taking is going to where I kneel to pray. Most people take trips to find comfort and, there, God gives me all the comfort I need."

I gasped at hearing John's statement and pondered the fact that most people indeed take trips to find solace. "He's right," I concluded. Regardless of where you go, you are seeking comfort of some kind. Even if a journey is for business, pleasure, to visit someone or shop, people receive comfort or a reward of some kind. Trips are often taken to experience the feelings of love and well-being you receive from those whom you visit. Whatever the reason, you find reassurance, accomplishment or a sense of purpose. When you go somewhere just because you must, even that brings consolation because it's an obligation you've completed. If you're simply taking a drive through the countryside, that venture can lift your spirits, give you time to think or help you relax. All those perks are forms of comfort.

Receiving comfort from God is the ultimate prize. If people could perceive the wonder, relaxation, peace, relief, joy and absence of fear that comes from talking with God, what a spectacular trip it could be. That journey could be made as easily as going to a quiet room, resting by a pond, inside a church or anywhere you can kneel to pray.

Without inward peace, though, all the trips and journeys in the world are worthless. Have you ever gone to a quiet stream, the park or a mountain overlook only to continue being frustrated because your turmoil lies within your consciousness? Without God's comfort the outing is useless. Psalm 139 says despite how far you travel, or what you do, God is with you. He created your innermost being. He can find you anywhere.

I have since assumed a new perspective on taking trips. It is to ask what I'm seeking. If it's something only God can provide, maybe I, too, will just stay home and be like John -- go to where I can kneel and pray.

Ellen Shuck holds degrees in psychology, religious education and spiritual direction and provides spiritual direction to people at her office.