I love the image of journey as it relates to my own life of faith. It is an ongoing path through life that sees it level places, its rocky ridges and sometimes its rough and difficult terrain. Some of these images come from a book written in 1955 by Hannah Hurnard called "Hind's Feet on High Places" which is based on the passage from Habakkuk 3:19: "God, the Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer (hind) and makes me tread upon the heights."
This allegorical tale follows the main character "Much Afraid" as she encounters the Shepherd who invites her to a new way of life. She is accompanied by Sorrow & Suffering; and yet it is through them and the Shepherd that she comes to see and experience life in ways previously thought impossible. Her journey takes many twists and turns, sometimes seemingly heading in the wrong direction, hounded by Pride, Bitterness, Self-pity and others in the fearings community.
Life can be very much like this in all the moments of our lives. Some days seem without conflict and even a bit mundane. Other times, the terrain before us looks impassable even to the point of not wanting to go any further and just stay where we are.
Yet, Christ is always beckoning us forward, walking beside us and leading us through the most difficult of times. (the dark valleys and still waters of Psalm 23). The thing to remember always in our life's journey is that we are not traveling it alone. God offers us the gift of one another to walk alongside us. Christ reveals his face in those what walk with us.
Who is walking beside you this day?
How have you shared and received the love and peace of Christ in your companionship?
In our hymnal, the one song that I keep humming as I think of today's word is "I'm going on a journey" (ELW 446) which gets to the heart of this image:
I'm going on a journey and I'm starting today
my head is wet, and I'm on my way
Christ's mark is on me; its on your too;
it says he loves me and he loves you too
I'm becoming this day a saint of God
it really doesn't matter what roads I trod
wherever I go, God's been there too
God's love has touched me and will carry me through
There are other saints who have said amen
they'll keep me faithful to my journey's end
along the way I want to be
the kind of person that God set free
Text: Kenneth D. Larkin; Music: Edward V. Bonnemere
(c) 1994 Amity Music
May you find on today's journey where Christ meets you, guides you and offers you peace.
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