Traveling Together {Lessons from the trail}

We were about 3 hours into our road trip, sailing along I-5 going 70mph, when Heidi suddenly screamed in distress, a one word warning we knew we must heed:

“POOPY!!”

Yes, we’re working on her communication methods, but the girl has a highly functional digestive system, and when she has to go she has to go. Often.

“Ok, we’ll stop at the next rest stop, babygirl. You can hold it until then.” Of course her face registered panic and she sat kicking her legs, no doubt fighting her body’s urges with all the self-control her 3-year-old self could muster.  I’m happy to report we made it in time.

I thought the first day’s trip would take us almost 10 hours.

That’s what Google Maps had said. 

But I hadn’t registered one critical road trip component: Stops. Frequent stops. Road trips with small children mean frequent stops. Although I must confess we only made 4 stops altogether and 2 of them were initiated by Jeff and me. So the fact that our trip took 11.5 hours instead of 10 was certainly not their fault, but it reminded me of an important principle along the pioneer path. One African Proverbs states it like this:

If you want to go fast, go alone.

If you want to go far, go together.

Of course Jeff and I could have taken this trip quicker if we were alone. But I would never trade in a thousand years that sweet opportunity to travel with our children. To learn from them and with them, to hear their endless questions and sweet curiosity, to take a million mental pictures as I glanced into the backseat and see them snacking, talking, reading, watching. I’d never trade the priceless family time we gained from simply spending 11.5 hours in a small space, together.

There is nothing so precious as traveling this life of faith together. 

Today, in fact, we are really traveling together. Today we are driving with my parents, my brother, and his wife and two children, from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City. I’m sure with 10 people’s digestive needs–instead of only 4–we’ll have even more special stops along the way. 🙂 But again, I’ll happily trade speed for the joy of traveling together.

This reminds me again of the Pioneers. Along the Oregon Trail, they had to travel a snail’s pace. Or literally, a child’s pace. We often think of them all riding in wagons, but the wagons–for the most part–only held the very sick or very young.

All who could walk, did. 

And so their pace was that of the slowest walker. Have you ever walked with a child? It’s slow. And at this slow pace they went, more than 2,000 miles, because they knew that it was worth it to travel together.

I’ve been reminded of this recently in my own life. As we’re making some hard choices to follow God and live out this life of faith, I’m being continually reminded how necessary it is to surround ourselves with like-minded saints who are going the same direction.  When we think we might be crazy, we need someone who is walking alongside us (even if perhaps they are crazy too!). When we’re discouraged about how long the journey is, we need someone else’s perspective who is traveling right there as well. When we’re sick, tired, weary, sad. Whatever it is we’re experiencing, we need the strength in numbers, the faithful saints who walk beside and lend a hand–or a wagon–until our strength has returned.

Are you surrounding yourself with like-minded saints? Sisters and brothers who are truly going the same direction? I do not merely mean “Christians” because there are plenty of Christians who are not living pioneer lives of seeking God’s glory, on mission with Him, living His upside-down Kingdom here on earth.  Are you surrounded by people who make you want to love Jesus more? Who inspire courage in you? Who love you and pray for you?

Do whatever it takes to surround yourself with such people. Ask God for them. Look for them. Watch for them. Pursue them. Get right alongside them and seek to do life with them. Travel Together. It’s the only way we’ll make it all the way there. 

Even if it means inconvenience, we must stay together. Even if it means we can’t go as fast as we want, if it means we must adjust our schedules, our preferences, our comforts. Even if it means pulling over so a 3-year-old girl can go poopy.

More than once. 

We must travel together, amen? Amen. 

{Do you have “travel companions”?  How do they encourage you along the way? Thank you so much to those of you who are true traveling companions to me. Bless you today, and thanks for reading!}