. . .somewhere I have never traveled, gladly beyond any experience. . .” e.e. cummings
After three weeks of traveling in Europe with my husband, and a little time to process, I want to put down some of the things for which the trip inspired me to be thankful in this wonderful season. It isn’t a Mayflower and pilgrims and feast list—two things I include here predate the Mayflower Compact and Plymouth Rock. (For my photos and commentary on the trip, please check out Facebook and Instagram). Here they are:
- Those who dared. Our trip began in Barcelona, a city which we had never before visited. In fact, this was our first trip to the Iberian Peninsula. Overlooking the port of the city stands a statue of Christopher Columbus that was completed in 1888. Born in Italy, he had been sailing since the age of ten, was largely self-educated, and ambitious. Columbus met with King Ferdinand and Isabella in Barcelona after his first voyage to the Americas. They had funded his explorations after he had been turned down by the king of Portugal. Columbus certainly had a checkered moral history, swinging between decades of repeated and shocking brutality, and what we would consider an odd religious concern. The current trend is to keep any attention given him on the cruelty. In so doing, the fact that his expeditions launched a period of exploration that lasted for centuries, and essentially helped create the western world, is largely ignored. In fact, it made possible the arrival, 120 years later, of the Pilgrims. Thus, an overarching, educated perspective of history is replaced by the current cultural disposition. If the magnifying glass of that disposition is applied to every historical figure, there will eventually be no accurate lens for examining the past. I am thankful for those who dared move beyond an unknown horizon.
- Those who suffered and died for their faith. The first ten days of our trip included a cruise up the Rhône River. At the same time I had been listening to Tom Holland’s Dominion, a fascinating history of the Christian faith and its indelible imprint on all of human history. And here we were, sailing up the Rhône and Saone rivers where Holland chronicles in excruciating detail the martyrdom of Christians in numerous places along those rivers. We stopped in the cities of Vienne and Lyon on the fourth day of our trip. In the first two centuries of the Christian Era, Christians were tortured and slaughtered in these towns by order of local Roman officials. Yes, we were on a fantastic vacation in southern France with so much to enjoy in the beauty and pleasure of its countryside, food, and history. But I was conscious of that “great cloud of witnesses” who, centuries before, endured the unimaginable rather than deny Christ. I am thankful for those who have given, and continue to give, their lives for their faith – and mine.
- Those whose lives testify of God and God alone. We visited friends in Croatia whose life together has been one of steadfast service for Christ. We had met Danijel and Eva Mrsic on a trip to that country in 2015. He is from Croatia, she from Spain. Together, for more than thirty years, they have preached the Gospel, distributed help to the unfortunate, and established a strong church in the city of Split. Some years ago, they purchased a thirty acre property in the mountains and established Kamp Fokus that is used frequent retreats throughout the year. Danijel was diagnosed with a brain tumor several years ago, and they have relocated to a small town in the mountains north of Split. The church in Split continues to thrive. Spending time with them felt like a benediction. I am thankful for their example of absolute devotion to their Lord and His Church.
- The blessedness of Family. When we returned from our trip and sat one evening around the table with our family, I thought about how the testimony of Jesus was everywhere on that remarkable trip. And I thought how inestimably precious it is to come home to the dear, familiar faces of our loved ones. We sit at the table in comfort and safety and in the pleasure of each other’s company. In this season of life, and in this season of thanksgiving, I do not take any of it for granted.