Acts 20:1-6. Once the uproar regarding Artemis has died down, Paul exhorts the disciples in Ephesus and departs for Macedonia. He travels through the area giving the disciples there much encouragement, and comes to Greece. He spends three months in Greece before readying to depart for Syria, but when he learns of a plot against him by the Jews, he instead decides to return through Macedonia. Several disciples of various nationalities go ahead of him to Troas, and Paul and Luke set sail from Philippi after Passover. After a five-day journey, they meet the others in Troas, where they stay for seven days.

Just reading of Paul's travels gets me exhausted! I don't know how he did everything he did - he truly must have had the help of the Holy Spirit! Here he is on the move again - from Ephesus, where there was just a near riot because of his teaching, to Macedonia and the surrounding areas; then a planned trip from Syria had to be re-routed due to a plot against him; then he goes to Troas by a five-day boat journey from Philippi. None of this is sightseeing or pleasure travel, it is all in God's name and Paul has to be constantly on his toes and aware of the plots and machinations of his enemies. I just find it also exhausting!

I myself am a reluctant traveler - I really dislike the process of travel altogether. When I do travel, I am usually going someplace for rest and relaxation, unlike Paul, and even then I often think I would just rather stay home. So I can't imagine being Paul, just constantly on the move, evading enemies, and traveling by means of transportation a lot less comfortable than I have available to me.

I am taking this as a reminder to me that we are not all called to do the same tasks. In fact, if we were all doing the exact same thing, a lot of things God needs us to do would not be getting done. God gives us certain gifts and abilities and then gives us situations and callings in which we can use those gifts and abilities, if we answer His call. We are not all called to be Paul (thank goodness for me!), but we are all called to do something. We should try, every day, to listen to what God is calling us to do that day. That is all He asks of us. We should look to Paul as an inspiration, a role model, and an incredible saint, but we do not have to accomplish God's will in the exact same way that he did. We can even sometimes do it from the comfort of our homes, by writing a blog!;)