A group of friends were sharing stories about recent travel adventures. I’m looking forward to walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain in October and it was exciting to hear from them about the new places they visited.

One theme came through strongly: we travel because we want to learn.

We want to learn about different cultures and landscapes, as well as how the lifestyles of people in other places are unique. If we listen, we may find a new way of living life, or at least bring a part of our adventure home with a memory to share.

But it is only when we listen more than talk, that we actually learn. This doesn’t apply to just travel but in our daily lives as well. If we are convinced that we know everything and are not curious about what we don’t know, we cease to exist. Life is about learning and growing into the person that God intended us to be.

Jesus is the Messiah, but He was also recognized as a great teacher. Of the 90 times that Jesus is recognized in the Gospels, he is addressed as “teacher” in 60 of them. When Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, he said, “We know that you are a teacher who has come from God” (John 3:2).

I want to never stop learning. I want to learn more about God. I want to learn more about others through travel and conversation. I want to learn more Spanish. I want to learn how to be a better swimmer. I want to learn how to play better golf. I want to learn more about art. I want to learn how to see Jesus more clearly in others.

When we stop learning, we die.

Blessings, my friend,
Agatha