Sometimes when I’m scrolling through videos on Instagram or scouring the Internet for new travel ideas, I come across images of amazing views and exotic places, and I feel that familiar twinge in my heart, that aching longing for adventure. I definitely have an innate sense of escapism when it comes to dealing with life’s pressures. I’d rather be out in the woods any day than face the world’s noise. I’d rather be on the banks of a river, taking in a breathtaking mountain view, than facing the daily grind. Who wouldn’t?

I know that I have a tendency to romanticize ‘getting away from it all’, but I also know that our souls crave more than what we can find in this life. As C.S. Lewis pointed out, our desires reveal to us that we were created for another world – this one does not satisfy. It makes sense that the more hardship we go through, the less tethered to this world we feel.

I’m going to be brutally honest here – lately I have felt so beaten up and defeated by situations and circumstances that I often feel ready to give up. I’m not even sure what that means. How does one ‘give up’, and what would that even look like? I suppose it simply boils down to asking the ‘why’ questions. Why bother cultivating relationships? Why keep a righteous mindset? Why do anything that’s hard?

I also know, however, that it’s just feelings, and feelings lie. Our desire to escape is rooted in our hearts, where eternity has been etched. We have a future and a hope that’s beyond our imaginations, and yet we still allow the present struggles to overshadow the beauty that’s to come. I wish I could be better at looking forward to the adventures to come instead of fretting over what’s lacking in the present. There is joy indescribable to be had here and now – I can look back and see it, all the moments of love and awe that spurred me on to push forward in the journey. Those moments are treasures that last.

It’s God’s presence that we seek, that we crave from the depths of our souls, and that truth is what makes our restlessness make sense. He is to be found in so many places, to be seen in so many forms. It’s no wonder I can’t stand still. I’m desperate to soak it all in, to experience all the goodness and beauty that I can. 

No matter where or how we wander, the travels won’t always be pleasant. They may be hazardous and risky, unpredictable and uncertain…but the rewards are amazing, and it never makes sense to quit.

What views there are to see. What sunsets there are to cherish. I must remind myself of that when I forget that the ordinary and the hard are also part of the adventure.

Keep trekking.