(If you need to know what this is all about, start with the first post in the series and click through the succeeding links. Also, as posts are added links will be placed in that first post to each one.)
Today, I want to…
Go Somewhere Worth Seeing
Oh, the Places You’ll Go
“Oh, the places you’ll go,” Dr. Seuss told me when I graduated high school (my parents gave me the book as a graduation present). There are lots of places to go. Sadly, I’ve been some places that weren’t worth seeing. I don’t want to dwell on those. But there are so many places worth seeing.
God’s world is filled with places to see. Some places are worth seeing because of the beauty of God’s creation—the Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Ocean. Some places are worth seeing because of what has happened in those places—Independence Hall, Gettysburg, Jerusalem. Some places are worth seeing because of how they relate to our world today—the White House, Buckingham Palace, Ground Zero. Some places are worth seeing because of what we can learn from them—the Smithsonian, the Louvre, the British Museum. Some places are worth seeing because they show us the amazing accomplishments and abilities of man—the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Mount Rushmore. Some places are worth seeing because of what they stand for—the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Memorial. Some places are worth seeing because they remind us how blessed we are—Zimbabwe, Nigeria, the Philippines. Some places are worth seeing because of the people we meet there—our friend’s house, our church’s meeting place, our school. Some places are worth seeing because of how they relate to us personally—our home, our parents’ birthplaces, our great-grandparents’ graves. There are many, many places worth seeing.
Oh, the Places You Already Go
At first, I was tempted to make some point about how this may not be something we do every day. That temptation demonstrates our number one problem with going somewhere worth seeing. We rarely open our eyes to recognize the places worth seeing we already visit regularly. Don’t close your eyes to the people and places right where you are.
Surely you’ve heard the story about the acres of diamonds. A South African farmer had heard all the stories of wealth from African diamond mines and decided to sell his farm in order to raise money to go looking for diamonds, wealth, and a life of ease. He searched for years and died in poverty. The man who bought his farm however, began to wonder about the peculiar rocks he kept finding as he plowed his new fields. He had a geologist check them out only to find he was sitting on one of the biggest pockets of diamonds on the entire African continent.
That story is too often us. We think so much about going somewhere that we never realize we might be someplace worth seeing right now. That place you live is somewhere worth seeing. It is more than an edifice, a structure of brick and mortar, timber and trusses. It is a home. Love, care, compassion, togetherness all happens there. At least it will if you open your eyes to how worth seeing it is. That place you work is somewhere worth seeing. It is more than a collection of offices, more than an assembly plant, more than a construction site. Things happen there. Livelihood is accomplished there. Things are made there. Blessings are generated there to go out into our world and provide for us and others. That place you go to school is somewhere worth seeing. Learning happens there. Information is exchanged there. People who know more than you are there (even when you don’t like to admit it).
I look out my office window as I write this and see asphalt, white paint, an ugly street light. I’m tempted to
just see a parking lot. However, some days I’m able to see the bushes, the hydrangeas, the Bradford pears. On occasion a flash of movement has captured my eye; I look up to see a dear run in and out of the small woods on the other side of the parking lot. Wild turkeys roam across the field at the back of this building and sometimes walk right up to the door, attacking their own reflection. How beautiful. How amazing.
My kids and I explored the wooded area at the back of the property here one day. My son nearly stepped on a snake that was demonstrating its God-given ability to camouflage. After my heart started beating again, we were able to appreciate how really beautiful that was. In the woods we found a nearly dried up spring around which someone had built a structure to make it easier to wash clothes in years ago. There was a little bit of history in our backyard. It wasn’t major history, but my kids learned something about their great-grandparents that day.
If you want to go somewhere worth seeing, start by opening your eyes to the places you already go and how worth seeing they really are.
Oh, the Places Nearby
When I think about going somewhere worth seeing, I think about long vacation trips. I want to travel in Europe. I want to hit the historical sights for the birth of my great nation the United States of America. I want to visit Williamsburg, Virginia; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I want to travel to the Grand Canyon; see the Painted Desert; swim in the clear blue waters of Hawaii.
Going somewhere worth seeing always seems like such a trip. What has amazed me since I’ve lived in Franklin, Tennessee is the number of people who thought of going somewhere worth seeing and so they traveled right here to Middle Tennessee. Would you believe that as I was typing this, someone knocked on my office door because they were looking for a church to worship with while they visited from California? They made that huge trip just to come to this area. They did that while I’m dreaming of getting out to California to visit Disneyland and see the Pacific Ocean.
My wife and I have decided to learn about places worth seeing that are a little closer to home. We have Civil War sites—the Carter House, the Carnton Plantation, the Spring Hill Battlefield. Just two and a half hours away in Chattanooga, where many in my extended family live, is the Chickamauga battlefield and an awesome aquarium. A few weeks ago my family and I took a short getaway trip to Crab Orchard Tennessee. We didn’t expect much. We only wanted a little time to ourselves away from the daily grind. But not five minutes away we found Ozone Falls. We stood atop the falls and watched the water cascade over the edge. We hiked down to what was called the plunge pool and swam at the base of the falls. I told my wife that with the possible exception of Disney World, that was the most fun I’ve ever had on a vacation. Was it worth seeing? You had better believe it. I think everyone should make the trip to Ozone Falls. Just last year, some of the men and boys from my home congregation took a camping trip. I was all excited about this trip and the canoeing we were going to do. I was shocked when I found out the campground was only 15 minutes from my house. We had a great time and I learned about a great place to take my family to get out in God’s nature.
I’m sure Middle Tennessee is not the only place in the world that is like this. If you want to go someplace worth seeing, consult a local map to see what is nearby, call your state parks and recreation department to learn of natural wonders, visit your local chamber of commerce to find out about nearby historical sites. Hey, if nothing else, go to your local library. They always have great stuff to learn about and do. You might be surprised at the groups who meet regularly at your library who can tell you all about local stuff. If all else fails you can pick up a good book that will take you someplace worth seeing.
Oh, the Places Worth Seeing All Over the World
Don’t misunderstand me. I hope you take advantage of all that you already see and all that is near you. But I don’t want to take away from all the great somewheres worth seeing the world over. I’ve been challenged by Chris Guillebeau, author of “The Art of Nonconformity,” to not be satisfied with seeing a place or two. He decided to visit every country in the world over five years. I think he’s going to make it. I’m not saying you’re only really going someplace worth seeing if you take up that great of a challenge. However, I have learned that maybe there are places worth seeing that are off the beaten trail. Maybe going in to some countries where I don’t know the language, the customs, or even the food might be a good thing for me.
Whether you want to be that much of a nonconformist or just want to see the standard places worth seeing, it is going to take some financial planning and some time management. It might take a complete change of pace for your life. Don’t just dream about going to those places, plan for it. Start saving today. Figure out the cheapest way for you to go. Don’t demand luxury all the way (unless you can afford it). Check out Chris’s travel and life tips if you really want to make a habit of going somewhere worth seeing.
Oh, the Place You’ll End Up
Of course, for me, the ultimate place worth seeing is not in this world. It is not even in this lifetime. The ultimate place worth seeing is the throne room of God in heaven. That goal reminds me that if I let myself get too caught up in going places down here on earth, I might lose track of the truly important somewhere worth seeing.
Paul said the suffering we face down here is not worth the glory that will be revealed in us and to us there (Romans 8:18). Peter said it is an inheritance that is undefiled, unfading, and imperishable (I Peter 1:4). The Bible really doesn’t say much about heaven. How can it? Our finite words cannot express the beauty, awesomeness, and grandeur of the infinite heaven. Sadly, our images of heaven are nothing more than caricatures of the real thing because they are limited by what we’ve seen on earth. But I am convinced heaven is better than earth. I want to see it. I want to experience it. I want to roll around in its fields, run through its streets, fly on its clouds. Even in those images I’m limited by own experiences or imagination based on this life.
Don’t worry, I’m not selling tickets for a bus ride to the pearly gates today. However, I have to admit I’m a little jealous of my “co-author.” Kelsey Harris, the young lady who wrote the poem that has inspired these posts, is already enjoying paradise. I look forward to seeing her again someday along with so many others. That will be somewhere worth seeing.
Remember this, you’ll be the same person in five years that you are today except for the books you read, the people you meet, and the places you go. Make sure you go somewhere worth seeing.
(Come back next Wednesday when we talk about Eating Something Worth Tasting.)
…Some places are worth seeing because they remind us how blessed we are—Zimbabwe, Nigeria, the Philippines…
May I ask what you meant by this? Did you mean that people in those places are less blessed than you are?
Hey Aga,
Thanks for challenging me to dig deeper on this. I don't mean Americans are more blessed in the sense that God loves us more. I don't mean Americans are more blessed in the sense that we are smarter, better, more resourceful, more talented.
What I do intend to highlight is that Americans, even American Christians, can be some of the most ungrateful people. That is, Americans can be some of the richest poor people I've ever met. Most of us get three meals a day with snacks in between. Most of us have more clothes than we can wear in a weak. Most of us are free from major fear of crime. We have a government that generally protects us and is trying to figure out ways to help us (even if we all can't agree on what the best way to do that is). Most of us have homes that shelter us from all the elements with air conditioning in the hot weather, heat in the cold, non-leaking roofs when it rains. Yet, we can complain about how badly we have it and act as if God hasn't blessed us when He most certainly has.
I can't help but think about 2 Corinthians 8-9, in which Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to give materially to help the Judean Christians during their famine. He claims some have more and some have less at different times. They can help each other. Which shows we are blessed in order to bless others. Sometimes others are blessed in order to bless us.
Having said all this, I did just notice something very interesting that I will have to study further. I simply ran a search on "bless*" at http://blueletterbible.com and discovered that it seems every case of the use of those words is a reference to spiritual blessing. I don't think we are higher on that blessing scale than anyone. I'll have to study that further. Perhaps I should use some different words.
Let me know what you thing, Aga. And thanks again for the question.
I asked because I'm a Filipino who is blessed to live in a country where family and faith is important.
Please be careful in making comparisons. Maybe you have been here and have concluded that it is horrible place to live in, but, let me leave you, instead, with this quote from The Little Prince:
". . . One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes. . . . "
May God bless you always.
Hi Aga,
Thank you for your caution. I do need to be careful making comparisons. I have not concluded the Philippines are a horrible place to live. I've only been told that, in general, Americans have more material blessings than the average resident in the Philippines.
Thank you very much for the reminder of the true blessings and for the great example in being able to count your blessings.
Edwin