Describing the Indescribable

“Always go with your passions. Never ask yourself if it’s realistic or not.”

Passions, to me, are interestingly complex. Many times the reasons for a passion cannot be described or discerned by the one who holds it, and most often are only fully understood by those who share it. There is an unspoken understanding, an indescribable bond between those who share a deep passion. Those outside of this typically can’t quite grasp the level of awe and fascination.

I believe this is part of what makes a passion so beautiful, however: the fact that it can’t truly be described with words, but can only be felt with the heart. 

Sometimes we can’t explain why a certain love is so strong- it just is.

Out of the many passions I hold in my heart, one of the deepest I have is traveling. I have what I believe to be an inexplainable love to travel to new places. In fact, I could probably talk for days about where I want to go, what I want to see, and which experiences I want to have.

Though I don’t think I could ever thoroughly explain why traveling is so dear to my heart, I have been asked numerous times before to try. Those who don’t understand it want to see what I see, but my simple words could never do justice to the beauty of it.  

One day in the comfort of my favorite park, I wrote in my journal the thoughts and feelings I could grasp about my traveling; I attempted to describe the indescribable. Here is what I found:

“What do I want? What is this, this for which my heart so strongly yearns?

Psalm 19:1-4 ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day by day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words, no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the Earth, their words to the ends of the world.’

This. This is where my heart is: in nature, in creation. When you immerse yourself into the creation of another- whether it be a book, a song, a picture, a planet- you take a step inside their world. You get a peek into their heart and who they are.

Most often the sight I crave is into the heart of God, though I also love the creations of his creations. I can step into the life of another and see the world from their view when I travel. I can ask: What’s important here? What’s valued? What knowledge is common and shared? Where is God here? What is life like here?

I do believe that I hear God differently in different places. I see him differently in different places. I learn more of him and I connect with him uniquely in different places.

I like to go and wonder, “What was this like 50 years ago? 200? 2,000? What was this beauty like before man’s hands? Which parts of God’s creation did we decide to keep? How do God’s other creatures inhabit these places?

You know, God is quite the artist; He has a wonderful creativity. I love to see this in actuality. I love to feel his presence.

 “God, you've been here,” I think.

 Now I know he’s been everywhere, and it doesn’t always take a beautiful landscape to feel his presence, but sometimes in the ordinary and familiar I can forget to listen. I can forget to look and feel.

Besides, if an art museum was holding an exhibit of God’s work, I would take my time admiring each one; each beautiful, intricate, masterfully created piece. So why not do that here, in a land filled with his beautiful creations?

There is so much life and beauty out there; so many things to see, people to meet, and ways of life to understand. I want to expose myself to all of them- maybe to change, maybe to love more where I am, or maybe just to learn.

I will never fully know God until I see him in heaven, but I have the opportunity to see bits of his heart here as I explore the work of his hands. The more I see and learn the more I am in awe of him. Just imagine how much beauty exists to see!

I mean, if God didn't want us to enjoy his creation, he could’ve made it pretty ugly. It could consist solely of a flat, brown landscape. No uniqueness, no colors, no beauty. But he didn't. That leads me to believe that he wants us to enjoy the wonders of his creation and the artistry of his design.

Put quite simply, I want to enjoy this- this remarkable work he has made. Each place holds a piece of his voice and his heart, and experiencing that is what makes me feel alive.”

While my passion for traveling is deeper still than my words can say, I think this begins to describe my heart and my reasons for loving it so strongly. The most amazing part of it all is how I feel God uniquely connect with me within my passions, giving me a companion who needs no explanations of these things to enjoy them with me.  

I’m beginning to learn that I will always have a friend who understands my passions just as I do, and that makes me even more passionate.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.”