Following the Signs

In October, we walked the pilgrimage of the Way of St James (aka el Camino de Santiago) in northern Spain. As we walked we learned we could only go as fast as our feet would take us and we only knew the way by following the marked signs. So, day after day, we trusted the path and the signs and delighted in the unhurried pace and being present to the beauty all around us. One day we were walking up a mountain part of the path and we were deep in conversation so we missed a sign. A little further up the wayward path we heard a whistle…

We turned to look back and some fellow pilgrims were calling us back to the path. Close call!

“Now that you have welcomed the Anointed One, Jesus the Lord, into your lives, continue to [walk] with Him and allow Him to shape your lives. Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always spill over with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-7” (The Voice Translation)

Wow, I know for me on our pilgrimage I discovered so many invitations for me to walk the way of Jesus. His way is unhurried, always listening to the Father to know what to do and where to go. It’s pretty easy for me to try to go too fast or get distracted with my plans and miss the signs. He reminds me He is the one shaping my life and calling me back. He is the one producing fruit in me as I abide in the vine. He is faithful in my weakness and will keep me as we walk towards home.

Last Saturday I sat down in a coffee shop to catch up with N. We hadn’t seen each other since just before our sabbatical and I was eager to hear what had been happening for her. I met N three years ago. She had been back for a couple of months from serving in sub-saharan Africa. That night as we met she poured out from a grieving heart how she found herself totally disoriented in her life spiritually, vocationally, emotionally. It was rough. We began walking together over the coming months as she asked big questions and wrestled with God. We simply had to walk slowly, trusting the Spirit to guide us. I listened and loved, reminded her of Love in a Person and the darkness continued.

She eventually went to serve in central America as a teacher and landed on a completely dysfunctional team where she was isolated and continued spiraling. Month after month she would ask “How could a loving God abandon me? Why doesn’t He listen to me? What have I done wrong? Should I stay? How can I quit again?” As we walked, there were so many times I could only simply choose to trust God was carrying her. The path seemed unclear and I wondered if we were missing some signs. I listened and loved, talking to her about Jesus shaping her life in love and the darkness continued.

N moved back to our town last summer. We met up for a short visit right before our sabbatical. She was tired and navigating the chaos of transition and yet I could see a shimmer of something like hope in her eyes. As we sat in the coffee shop last week, she was positively radiant. I asked her to explain and she said, “Thank you for letting me doubt and ask questions in the darkness. Thank you for walking with me. God hasn’t changed, but I have and how I see Him has. You helped me remember Jesus loved me through the darkest times”. Looking back, N could see God was there all along, many times carrying her when she couldn’t even see to take another step. We both discovered that we could only walk as fast as our humanness would allow us and that we could trust the signs and the Sign Maker to keep us on the path and to walk with us each step of the way.

What does the path in front of you look like today? Do you have a minute to pause and look around? Is there someone you are walking with that needs your help? Do you feel lost and wonder if you’re off the path? Are you anxious about when the next sign is coming and what might be ahead? The Good News is as we journey towards our Home we have one who has gone before us and knows the path well and is with us every step of the way. Let’s keep walking with Him “further up and further in.” (CS Lewis The Last Battle)