I am a pilgrim. Not THAT kind of pilgrim, but similar. I am on a journey, more now than I ever have been. And my hope these days is to invite others to make a journey of their own. I want others to join me – not so others will do what I do, but so others will find the company of the same one with whom I travel.
So, you may ask, where does this journey lead? Honestly, I haven’t a good clue right now. I keep asking the one who walks with me, but he just encourages me to walk. All I know is the journey is taking me deeper into the heart of God, deeper into the Kingdom of heaven. I hope to know someday soon what that means for my reality in this world, but for now I walk.
Adding to my joy is the theme of our Advent season. Thanks to Adam Hamilton, our church-wide focus for the next few weeks is “The Journey”. I am not certain of all that this Advent season holds for us, but I am so amazed at how God is keeping this idea of a pilgrimage in front of me, and how He keeps calling me to encourage others to join in.
I’m excited about where this Advent “journey” takes us, which is not to say that i am anxious to know where it leads. The greater part of the journey is not the destination but where it takes us as we travel. That’s the biggest lesson I have learned – from my time on sabbatical in October, to the weeks since I have returned to active work in the church – what matters more than the destination is the journey. Is there a destination and a goal? There should be. But, when we focus on the goal we miss out on the blessings of the journey.
As we head into the holiday season, I hope you will take time to slow down when everything around you is calling you to speed up. Don’t miss out on what God would show you along the way. Don’t miss out on the time you could spend talking with and walking with Jesus.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s – all the holidays will get here no matter what we do or don’t do. May we not look back and wish we had spent less time standing in line at the store, less time making our house look just so, and more time sitting on the couch with a friend, more time experiencing the love and grace of God.
Holy high-five to you,
Mike
Mike's Monday Musings & More 