This morning while I was sitting out in the backyard enjoying my tea on a beautiful, breezy, but sunny, Pacific Northwest morning, I began to think about journeys. Maybe it is because I know of so many friends who are undertaking journeys: There is the friend who just lost her father to cancer; another whose mother is in hospital in a touch-and-go condi...tion; there is the relative whose daughter is expecting her first child any hour now; a friend who has moved clear across the country to pursue law school because she is passionate about justice, especially for those who are under-represented and marginalized; a granddaughter who just began pre-kindergarten; a former colleague and his new bride as they travel across Italy on their honeymoon. All of these people, and really everyone, is on a journey. Some of them are segments of the larger life journey and, although they are not of our choosing, we journey them anyway. Others are intentional, although they may be wonderful and frightening at the same time. And then there came to mind a passage from J R R Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring in which the Hobbit Frodo, who is about to undertake a journey, remembers that his uncle Bilbo composed a “walking song” to give him courage and determination when he will be very much tempted to veer off the Road on his journey.
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet,
And whither then? I cannot say.
We are all on a journey, every day of our lives. It begins with birth. Sometimes the journey is easy and enjoyable, other times it is mysterious and even frightening. Sometimes it seems like it is just mundane, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to make it to the end of the day. But if we stop and look at our life as a part of an overall picture (“some larger way”), we see that each segment of the journey is part of the quest that is our life. And maybe that is why we like stories like The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars or the countless other tales that are not just a part of Western literature, but also the folk literature of the world. We are all on a journey.
The Bible sees the Christian life as a journey as well. Beginning with the Call of Abraham and ending with the culmination in the Book of Revelation, we are on a journey. And those of us who have come to know God in Christ and are called to follow Jesus interpret our life within the larger, paradigmatic Gospel story of Jesus and discipleship. It is a story of Jesus’ call to follow him as God continues to work in our life and world inviting others to join us on this journey where we experience the abundant life that is offered in Christ.
There are times of rest and renewal on this journey, but we don’t stop for long. Sometimes the path is straight and clear, other times the road winds through uncertain and difficult terrain. But all the while, as we mix our story with God’s larger story, we are aware that God goes with us. We may not always be immediately aware of God’s presence or God’s supporting grace, but it is there because God has promised that it will be. And many who have been on the road longer than we have, can and have testified to God’s sustaining presence.
And so, my friend, my fellow traveler on the journey, let me wish you a safe and rich journey. Travel with your eyes and heart open to what God is doing and wants to do in your life and in your world. As Paula D’Arcy reminds us: “God comes to you disguised as your life.” And as you journey, remember to take some time to be still. It may come as you gaze into the face of a sleeping child, listen to a beautiful piece of music, take a walk on a clear, crisp morning, are held in a warm embrace, or just sit to reflect on some segment of your life’s journey. The Psalmist reminds us to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In this stillness, in the midst of our journey, we meet the mystery of God. When we are still, we cast our trust on God, and in that stillness God’s healing power ministers to us and helps us see our journey a bit clearer.
