At last, winter has ended here in New Zealand, and spring has begun, bringing with it warm and gentle days. This country is green all year round, but during this season, a softer shade of green spreads everywhere, creating a tender atmosphere. At a time when new life begins to stir, something naturally awakens in me as well — a desire to travel.
Of course, I can’t just take off whenever I please, so I must learn patience within restraint. Still, I can’t help but feel a little restless.

Because of this nature of mine, my wife and I made a resolution about ten years ago. We agreed to seize every opportunity to travel while we are still able to walk and explore. So, every month, we each save 100 dollars for travel. Even though our finances are tight, we set aside this amount right after our tithe — as seed money for future journeys. Through this, we’ve been able to visit Korea, go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and attend several ministry seminars abroad.

There’s a reason I so deeply enjoy and long for travel — it always brings a peculiar sense of excitement. Within that excitement lies a faint worry, yes, but also a much greater sense of anticipation and hope. That’s why the 100 dollars we save each month is, in a way, the price of that excitement — a small investment that gives new vitality to life. As a pastor living with economic limitations, I sometimes wonder whether it’s worth paying that price. Yet my heart always answers, “Yes, it is.”

From personal experience, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned through travel is this: even when I’m gone, the world keeps turning as if nothing has changed. It doesn’t mean that I am insignificant, but that I can learn freedom from the illusion that nothing can function without me. The next realization that comes is how vast and wide the world truly is. Travel humbles me — it’s a wonderful teacher that reminds me how little I actually know.

In Confessions (Book XI, Chapter 27), Saint Augustine reflects on learning about God’s creation through the world itself. Building on that thought, an anonymous writer once said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” Indeed, each journey allows us to turn another page — quenching our curiosity and deepening our sense of wonder. For that reason, our 100-dollar investment in excitement is worth every cent.

There is another kind of excitement that fills my heart. My wife and I always give a tithe from every income — sometimes even more than we can afford. Yet, time and again, the Lord provides in miraculous ways, meeting our needs through His own methods. Before we save our 100 dollars for travel, we first offer our tithe and thanksgiving offering. We consider it a spiritual deposit toward our ultimate journey — the eternal one, to the Kingdom of God.

Even as I look ahead to the years and ministry still before me, that sense of excitement remains. There are still new places to go, new people to meet, and new pages of God’s creation to read — until at last, I reach the final and most glorious chapter: the eternal story of heaven.