i've been thinking about traveling

Traveling is so trendy, isn't it?

If you scroll through your insta-face-tweet feeds, I bet you see your friends in the most iconic locations, all across the globe:

The Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Macchi Pichu in Peru.
The Grand Canal in Venice.
The Masters in Augusta.
The so-and-so resort in Mexico.
The African safari.
Napa Valley in California.
The Strip in Vegas. 
Skiing in Colorado.
The Today Show in the Big Apple.

Almost a year ago, I personally posted a snap of the day for two straight weeks while in Italy. I'm one of these people.

Aren't there some magnificent wonders to behold? I sure think so.

Every time I visit a place for the first time or hundredth, or stay in a fancy hotel, or dine at a famous restaurant, I'm so grateful for the opportunity, for the resources that enable me to enjoy those times, for the people willing to wander with me, and for the God-given interest I have in experiencing cultures outside my normal.

It's a luxury, and I know it.

And God forgive me, it can be an idol, too, if I'm not careful.

I know this, because I find myself irritated by the endless posts of others' wanderlust in my own news feeds, and in the honest moments, I can't help but consider how I view travel, and whether or not I seek unwarranted fulfillment therein.

Let me confess, there's a dark place inside me that believes that when I get to travel for fun -- exotic or otherwise -- other people may envy me. They may think I lead a life more exciting than I do. I may appear adventurous (which I'm not), or spontaneous (which I'm not).

When did I ever start to believe those perceptions are important? Am I the only one that has those twisted motives?

Now listen. Some of my dearest, purest memories with family and friends were sewn into my being in the context of travel. They are treasures in my life.

But they're not the treasures.

There are other treasures -- treasures that are hidden on the home soil, with every day people -- that, in many ways, are more beautiful because they're hard-earned. Not easy or fun or luxurious, or spontaneous, extraordinary or adventurous.

They happen when a wayward child returns to her family.

Parents of a disabled child are ministered to by friends in their darkest times.

Siblings FaceTime with each other to catch up.

A mentally ill adult finds balance, even if only for a day.

A baby is baptized as a covenant child.

A baby is born, for crying out loud.

Y'all, these are the treasures that don't happen because you spend a ton of money to experience the vacation of a lifetime. They happen because you go about the business of daily faithfulness of loving your people and looking intentionally for the work of a very present God, exactly where you live.

So go and travel. Vacation in places that interest you. Post your photos and tell your stories. Be grateful about it all.

And check yourself as I must, that you're not traveling to achieve attention, status, or to boast.

The best wonders to behold are often right in front of you.