Pilgrimage

My heart is captivated tonight, as it has been for the past 4 weeks, on this word - PILGRIMAGE.

Conjures up an image of a sojourner with a satchel on her back, stumbling occasionally along the weathered trail, and where the road winds uneven and narrow she slows down to catch her breath. On she tracks with blisters on her heels, grasping tight onto a walking stick when her muscles fail, when the winds bellow during the upward hikes she pauses with a gnawing temptation to turn around and go back, because the misty fog approaches around the bend. When it gets hard to see, when food supply runs out and water gets scarce, when the air thins and temperature drops, when climbing companions become few and far between, when clothing wears out and reason fails, when there is every reason to "go back where you came from", when safety precautions demand self-preservation, on she tracks. Faith is spelt R.I.S.K. "I'm with you, even to the ends of the earth," whispers her guide, Pneuma. Because she's heading somewhere, and she HAS to get there. On she tracks...

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, those who set their hearts on pilgrimage." ~ Ps 84:5

The word hijrah i.e. 'pilgrimage' in bahasa (هِجْرَة) means 'to move'. There is a Qur'an-ic phrase called IMAN-HIJRAH-JIHAD, which essentially means FAITH-PILGRIMAGE-STRUGGLE. And this depicts our life in Christ extremely well. The word 'pilgrimage' cannot be separated from the words 'faith' and 'struggle', because to move towards a greater understanding of life and God denotes a struggle against our flesh, our self, our natural inclinations, that which betrays ignorance of divine truth. Glimpses of God's revelation moves us along on our journey of faith, forces us out of our preconceptions and misconceptions, breaks us out of our comfortable settlement so that we have no choice but to embark on pilgrimage. Yes, it's a struggle, but we step out in faith. Our whole lives are a journey. My life is to be lived towards heaven, and here on earth I move along, one place to another, station after station, knowing ultimately I'm heading home where "My Father's house has many rooms". It is said that "this world is not our home". What's important is to know where your home is. But what's MORE important is to know that your journey IS how you find revelation of the One who IS your home. If you pause to look back on your tracks to see where you have stepped, perhaps you might be surprised to see hints of Pneuma walking with you when you least expected. He is as much in your past as He is in your present. And you can be sure He will be with you in your future. Until you reach home.

If you could see your whole life in eternity's perspective, how differently you would approach your everyday decisions. Less attached to things of this world, less resistant of His unexpected directions, less iffy about how stable life should be.

Set your eyes on things above. 

Set your hearts on pilgrimage.

The pilgrim and her Pneuma walking side by side.