WHERE AND WHEN By Rich Devos

"... Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God." - Luke 8:1

My home state of Michigan is finally starting to near the end of a brutal winter. Michiganders experienced a record snowfall and one of the worst winters for car accidents in memory. Fortunately, I can now spend my winters in Florida.

That was not always the case. In my younger days I had no choice but to tough out a long, cold winter. Spending the winter in Florida or even traveling there for a Christmas vacation or spring break - as so many people do these days - was for the rare few who could afford such an extravagance. Before the easy accessibility of air travel and modern freeways, a trip to Florida for most people required a long ride by
car or train.

With air travel today being abundant and relatively affordable, families and college students give little thought to flying south for a week during the winter. One minute they're shivering in their winter coats, hats and gloves; and within a few hours they're basking in warm sunshine on a beach.

Our ability to travel frequently and at high speeds has blurred our sense of where and when. I noticed this when I started traveling frequently on business. I could be in my office in rural Michigan in the morning, in the noisy traffic of Manhattan by noon and back home for supper - all within the same day. I could experience various time zones and a variety of climates from arid to tropical to frigid within a matter of days.

We read in the Bible that Jesus and Paul were travelers. They traveled on foot, spending days on dusty roads, often stopping only for simple meals and whatever lodging they could find for the night in a field or friendly home. Travel was long and difficult but essential for their missions.

With our ability to move around quickly and maintain more control over when and where there comes a greater responsibility to ask ourselves where God would want us to be and when. Instead of an extra evening in front of the TV, maybe we have a volunteer opportunity that's just a short drive away. Where are we on Sunday morning? With several weeks of vacation and the convenience of air travel, where might we spend a week to volunteer to help people in a poor country? Might we spend a lunch or dinner hour volunteering at an inner-city shelter?

Where and when is God calling us? God has work for us anywhere in our community or world and at any time of the day or year. Never have we been so in control of deciding where and when. We likely can find the time and get there quickly.