Saturday January 11, 2020
I am now a couple of weeks into my unknown pilgrimage and I thought I would clarify why I am actually calling this adventure an “Unknown Pilgrimage.” Let me start with the work pilgrimage. According to Merriam-Webster a pilgrimage is the journey a pilgrim is one and a pilgrim is one who is traveling to a sacred or holy place.
The pilgrimage I am on this year is one to know both myself and God in a deeper, richer, more intimate way. This pilgrimage may include physical travel, but will defiantly involve and inward journey to my soul. The thing that makes pilgrimages tough is that they take us away from our normal routines and force us to encounter God (and ourself) in places where we might not feel at ease. It is in this uneasiness that God can do His transformational work.
I know where my pilgrimage will end, but the journey itself is the “unknown.” This journey began with an invitation from God to take this pilgrimage. To be honest, there is still a lot of uncertainty in what exactly this invitation entails. Words such as change, intentionality, transformation, and others pop into my mind as I think about the invitation. I am also holding loosely how the prophet Elijah fits into this invitation.
I’ve been walking with God a long time. I have seen God’s faithfulness to me in the past, so stepping off into the unknown with God fills me with excitement and wonderment. I know this might not be the case for everyone. Where I might jump you may only feel comfortable dipping in your toe and that is alright. You see you are at least dipping your toe. The key is that you respond in someway too God’s invitation for you. You see your invitation is not my invitation, just as my invitation isn’t your invitation.
The exciting thing is we can all pilgrimage together since we are all wanting the same thing, which is to draw closer to God.
If you want to take a 30 minute virtual walk around the prairie at Pacem in Terris click here.