What Europe Is Reminding Me Of

One of the things I love most about travel isn’t the landmarks, the food, or even the beautiful views.

It’s what it does to my perspective.

Yesterday, I was standing at the smoothie bar waiting for one of the attendants from the Philippines to help me.

As she made my smoothie, I couldn’t help but notice how genuinely happy she seemed. She was attentive, kind, engaging, and honestly one of the brightest parts of my day. 

Imagine that. One of the brightest parts of my day happened while standing at the smoothie bar.

It wasn’t just great customer service. There was a joy about her.  Her smile!!

Her smile, complete with her darling braces, was contagious.

The kind of smile that makes you wonder what she knows that you don’t.

The kind of smile that reminds you that happiness isn’t always found in perfect circumstances.

After she walked away, I found myself thinking about her life. Her family. Her dreams. Her story. Here we were, from completely different parts of the world, crossing paths for a few minutes on a cruise ship in Europe.

And it struck me just how big this world really is.

Everywhere I look on this trip, I’m surrounded by people whose lives are completely different from mine. Different cultures. Different languages. Different experiences. Different perspectives.

And somehow, I find that incredibly refreshing.

Because it reminds me that there is so much happening around us that we aren’t even aware of.

So many stories we know nothing about.

So many struggles we cannot see.

So many dreams quietly unfolding.

So many possibilities we haven’t considered.

And honestly, I think that lesson applies to much more than travel.

Sometimes when we’re walking through a difficult season, our world becomes very small.

Our focus narrows.

We become consumed by the diagnosis.

The heartbreak.

The uncertainty.

The decision we don’t know how to make.

The future we can’t quite see.

I know because I’ve been there.

There were seasons when cancer felt like the whole story.

When divorce felt like the whole story.

When grief felt like the whole story.

When uncertainty felt like the whole story.

But looking back now, I can see that none of those things were the whole story.

They were chapters.

Important chapters.

Painful chapters.

Life-changing chapters.

But they were never the ending.

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that some of the most meaningful seasons of our lives don’t feel meaningful while we’re living them.  Unfortunately, they usually feel like survival mode.

They feel confusing.

They feel unfair.

They feel lonely.

They feel heavy.

We often can’t see what is being built within us while we’re busy trying to survive what is happening around us.

But later, when we look back, we realize something was growing beneath the surface.

Strength.

Wisdom.

Compassion.

Resilience.

Trust.

The very things we needed for the next chapter.

At least that’s what I’ve found to be true in my own life.

I’ve learned that what we focus on matters.

If I only looked at the pain, I would have missed the growth.

Not trust that life will always go according to plan.

But trust that we can handle what comes.

Trust that God is working even when we can’t see it.

Trust that our story is still unfolding.

Travel reminds me that there is always more happening than what I can currently see.

And maybe that’s true in our lives too.

Maybe the chapter you’re in right now isn’t the whole story.

Maybe there are people you haven’t met yet.

Lessons you haven’t learned yet.

Healing you haven’t experienced yet.

Joy you haven’t imagined yet.

Maybe there are parts of yourself you haven’t discovered yet.

Maybe the very thing that feels unfinished is still being written.

Maybe what feels like an ending is actually an invitation to become someone you couldn’t have become any other way.

The truth is, we rarely see the full picture while we’re standing in the middle of it.

We want certainty.

We want answers.

We want the roadmap.

But often, life only gives us the next step.

And sometimes, the greatest act of trust is taking that step without knowing exactly where it leads.

As I continue this journey through Europe, I’m grateful for the reminder that the world is much bigger than my current perspective.

And so is God’s ability to work behind the scenes in ways I cannot yet see.

Maybe that’s true for you too.

A Question to Reflect On

What chapter of your life have you been treating like the whole story?

And what might change if you trusted that your story is still unfolding?