"The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." - Jesus

One bright spring morning on in the early fourteen century, Francis Petrarch set out with his younger brother to climb the highest mountain near his home in France. It was April 26, 1336, and for years Petrarch had wanted to climb Mount Ventoux, a six-thousand-foot peak near Malaucene, to see what could be seen from the top. He described what happened in a letter:

Petrarch realized that physical journeys are much less important than spiritual ones. It is so easy to mistake the one kind for the other.

Historian Robert Payne wrote about the disillusionment of the Crusaders who fought to conquer Jerusalem. From the villages and cities of the West, Jerusalem looked dazzling. They called it "Jerusalem the Golden," and imagined a city of gold and rubies and emeralds. Instead, it was dry and dusty. Payne ended his book with these words:

"For two hundred years, kings, princes, knights as well as the common people suffered from thirst and scorching heat to win and hold a city in the wilderness. Then at last they discovered that Jerusalem was not a geographical place. It was a place in the human heart."

Whether or not you can travel far from home, you can at any moment make life's most important journey. Every one of us can travel deep into our own heart and soul.

Whether or not you like to travel, you have already embarked on a new year. Might as well make it a spiritual quest. The Bible often calls us - God's people - strangers, pilgrims, foreigners, aliens. This world is not our home.

As we travel together this year, let us remind each other that, as others have said, "We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey."

Christ calls us to make life's greatest, most difficult journey - to open our hearts and walk inside.

Gary and Jennifer Williams
Florence Bible School
Italy