Do you know the difference between being a traveler and a tourist? A tourist likes to go on a journey but wants to stay comfortable and safe. A traveler, however, embraces the unfamiliar to experience something new.
A tourist might go to Italy and get mad when they can’t get their chicken fried steak and creamy gravy with mashed potatoes! They may become irritated if there isn’t someone to speak their language. The traveler is anxious to try new foods, learn new things and have new experiences.
Just three things to remember as you decide whether you will be a traveler or tourist:
First, Jesus called his disciples to be travelers with him. When the disciples decided to go with Christ, they would see things they had never imagined, their beliefs would be challenged and they would start to view the world in a different way.
One of the great temptations we have is to keep our world in a nice, safe, comfortable place and yet when you follow Christ, I believe He is going to broaden your view.
Second, one of my favorite questions to ask is this: “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” When we act like a tourist, we don’t want to do anything for the first time, we are content being comfortable where we are. Travelers seek situations that are different and unfamiliar because we know they will broaden our minds and may show us something that God has to say in our life.
And third, you and I get the chance to decide whether we will be tourists or travelers with Christ on the road of life. When we follow Jesus, we have to be willing to embrace that which is unfamiliar and experience something new!
