What does it mean to be a pilgrim? To be a pilgrim means leaving behind the comfortable easy path in search of something more.
It means going beyond the known borders of my life in search of
what is real and true.
To have no permanent home here on earth
But to always, always
Be on the way…
A small knapsack, filled to the brim with essentials is all I have. Part of this journey is answering questions like:
What are my essentials?
What feeds my soul and gives me joy?
What can I let go of and give away?
How do I share the gifts God has given me?
How do I share the life God has given me?
I wonder who will be my companions on the way? Who will walk with me today? And with whom will I walk? Can I be a good companion loyal and true?
I’ve learned to accept those who come my way for a while and when they need to take a different path to let them go. I pray their pilgrim journey will lead them home. I hope the path is clearly marked and they will have good companions on the way.
True companions.
I hope my pilgrim journey leads me home as well and that I can be a true companion.
I follow one step at a time.
Sometimes I stand still for what seems like eternity.
Waiting, waiting for a sign that it is time to move on.
Other days I’ve hardly unpacked my few possessions and it’s time to pack up and depart again. Tired and weary the best I can do is trust there is a path and to seek to follow as best I can.
At times like this, when my journey follows unfamiliar, solitary and seemingly dark paths I feel lost, forgotten and afraid. The next steps seem risky and precarious. The way ahead is hidden and my motives unclear.
Yet, I know I don’t walk alone, Jesus, my hidden companion, and sometimes silent guide loves me and the path ahead is neither dark nor unknown to him. And though he is silent, the way dark, and the path unclear I trust there is a path and that Jesus directs my steps. Confident of his love, I wait when he tells me to wait and follow when he beckons me onward, seeking to follow as best I can and trusting him to lead, guide, protect and direct me to the right path. It’s often not the way I would choose. Given the chance I would choose the easy path, the clearly marked way. Yet, I press on trusting this particular way will lead me more quickly and safely to my journey’s end than any path I might choose.
-Paula Mitchell
It is good from time to time to reflect with God in prayer where we’ve been and where we are right now as followers of Jesus. Spend some time in prayer you might ask God for an image of your life at the present moment.
Ponderings:
What kind of path are you currently on?
• Where does it seem to be leading?
• What’s your sense of Jesus as you walk this path?
• Who have been your companions on the way?
• When have you found yourself lost or off the path?
• Have you traveled other paths? Faced a fork in the road? Where have you/are you facing places of choice?
• Is anything weighing you down? What do you no longer need? What is essential for this stage of your journey?
• What do you need for the next stage in your journey?