Tourism Christianity
I love to travel! There is something so incredible about going away from your every day surroundings to venture into other parts of an incredible World. At the age of 19, I have been blessed to see more parts of the world than most people do in a lifetime. Being in Jamaica, I have talked to many adult locals who say they have never left this island. Most of them have dreams of leaving, but the process to do so is far too difficult. With every conversation, I become more and more grateful for the experiences I have had and the ones I will have in the future to see more of the world. I have learned a lot through the people who call Jamaica their home, but I have been wrestling even more with thoughts of those who come to visit.
The first week we were here, we had to leave the house we are staying in for a night so another team could stay here. With such short notice, our best option was the workplace of the family we are finishing a house for, The Holiday Inn Resort. We all made jokes about how hard missionary life is as we relaxed on the white beaches of Jamaica for the day. As I laid in the sun working on lessons and enjoying the beauty of clear ocean water, my heart began to break. For so many people, this resort was all they saw of Jamaica. I mean, why leave the beautiful, all-inclusive resort when anything you could ever need for a vacation was at your fingertips?! The same thing happens when people go on cruise ships. They are the perfect vacation, but they are not the greatest tour guide. Being blessed to live in this beautiful country this summer, I have been able to see parts of Jamaica that only tourists really pay attention to. But I have also been able to see the beauty of what is usually unseen. There is so much to Jamaica that most people miss out on. The culture, the struggles, the perseverance, the joy, the hardship. There is such a bigger picture, hiding behind what the naked tourist eye can see.
A few years ago, my sister and I went to Paris and Madrid with our grandparents. It was such an incredible trip filled with laughter, history, and beauty. We got to see most of the typical tourist spots and chose to eat as American as we could find. Ever since that trip, I have been struck by the lack of authentic culture we missed out on because we did not want to be intentional about immersing a culture different than what was comfortable. Thinking back on that trip, my idea of traveling has emerged into a greater desire to not just see other parts of the world, but to truly experience it. To try new things. To love and hate new things. To embrace every moment with an open mind. In learning how to do this better, I have become more aware of what is easily overlooked.
I'm not writing this to talk about traveling at all really. The core of why I have been wrestling with the concept of tourism is not because of traveling the world or embracing culture, it is because it reminds me a lot of Christianity.
Somewhere between prayers before dinner and weekly church services we have lost sight of the purpose of Christianity. So often, we easily become Tourist Christians. We live in a surface level relationship with God and consider it good enough. Just like going to a resort or hoping off the cruise ship at the ports, we as Christians expect that we can do the bare minimum to be considered a "good Christian" and then continue on missing out of the bigger picture. Each of us have our own starting point, so our walks are going to look different. But I was personally struck by the idea that I could just be a tourist of God. You see so many great things when you are touring, it is a great place to start. You get the big picture, the "important" stuff. You cram all you can into the short amount of time you have somewhere else, so you have to make sure it is the good stuff! But when it comes to God, I want to move beyond just the big stuff. I don't want to miss out on the complexities of intentionally seeking to go deeper with God. There is so much we miss if we just try to cram God into a box, or only experience Him once in a while so you only care about getting the "important" stuff.
Now, I'm not saying that you should travel differently if you usually hit all the tourist attractions. All I'm really saying is that it is time I stop treating God as a tourist attraction and get to know Him more and more. With traveling, it is easy to be satisfied with a short amount of time in a different environment. But be careful not to think that it could possibly be like that with God. Be intentional about learning more, experiencing more, being open to more. We have an incredible God who is so fun to discover. So hop off the cruise ship, leave the resort, leave behind what you consider safe and comfortable. Begin to experience more of the God who is crazy about you and wants to take you deeper than you could've ever imagined! Explore the Lord!
A few years ago, my sister and I went to Paris and Madrid with our grandparents. It was such an incredible trip filled with laughter, history, and beauty. We got to see most of the typical tourist spots and chose to eat as American as we could find. Ever since that trip, I have been struck by the lack of authentic culture we missed out on because we did not want to be intentional about immersing a culture different than what was comfortable. Thinking back on that trip, my idea of traveling has emerged into a greater desire to not just see other parts of the world, but to truly experience it. To try new things. To love and hate new things. To embrace every moment with an open mind. In learning how to do this better, I have become more aware of what is easily overlooked.
I'm not writing this to talk about traveling at all really. The core of why I have been wrestling with the concept of tourism is not because of traveling the world or embracing culture, it is because it reminds me a lot of Christianity.
Somewhere between prayers before dinner and weekly church services we have lost sight of the purpose of Christianity. So often, we easily become Tourist Christians. We live in a surface level relationship with God and consider it good enough. Just like going to a resort or hoping off the cruise ship at the ports, we as Christians expect that we can do the bare minimum to be considered a "good Christian" and then continue on missing out of the bigger picture. Each of us have our own starting point, so our walks are going to look different. But I was personally struck by the idea that I could just be a tourist of God. You see so many great things when you are touring, it is a great place to start. You get the big picture, the "important" stuff. You cram all you can into the short amount of time you have somewhere else, so you have to make sure it is the good stuff! But when it comes to God, I want to move beyond just the big stuff. I don't want to miss out on the complexities of intentionally seeking to go deeper with God. There is so much we miss if we just try to cram God into a box, or only experience Him once in a while so you only care about getting the "important" stuff.
Now, I'm not saying that you should travel differently if you usually hit all the tourist attractions. All I'm really saying is that it is time I stop treating God as a tourist attraction and get to know Him more and more. With traveling, it is easy to be satisfied with a short amount of time in a different environment. But be careful not to think that it could possibly be like that with God. Be intentional about learning more, experiencing more, being open to more. We have an incredible God who is so fun to discover. So hop off the cruise ship, leave the resort, leave behind what you consider safe and comfortable. Begin to experience more of the God who is crazy about you and wants to take you deeper than you could've ever imagined! Explore the Lord!
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