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On the pilgrimage, Camino de
Santiago, I walked with literally hundreds of strangers. There were people from almost every country
and Americans from many different states.
What was most surprising to me was that very few of the pilgrims were
Christians or really knew much about Jesus’ close disciple and the first
disciple who was martyred—St.
James.
As you walk the way, you can’t help but connect
with those who walk with you. You have
an instant commonality simply by walking the same path, taking in the same
breath-taking views, and being challenged by the similar hindrances. This camaraderie creates a sense of
intimacy. If you are brave like me,
there is one question that is acceptable to ask a perfect stranger on the
Camino. The question is: Why did you
come?
Every time I asked this question, I
received insightful answers. One young
man told me he came to experience Spanish culture. Another explained he and his wife love to hike
on their vacations and this was well-known, safe and beautiful. After more reflection he entrusted me with
his deeper thoughts. He said that only
after experiencing the Camino that he discovered another reason. As he walked, he found himself turning his
problems over and over in his mind. By
the time I talked with him near the end of the pilgrimage, he had discovered is
that he has no problems. The way he
learned this was from fellow pilgrims.
He told me that along the way he met many people who have big problems
(much bigger than his own). What he
realized was that people who have big problems don’t ruminate on them. He decided that only people with little
problems seem to worry about their problems.
He didn’t want to be like them, and that’s how he learned that he didn’t
have problems. He didn’t come to the
Camino to learn anything, but the Camino taught him something invaluable anyway.
I had a clear answer to the question
of why I came long before I arrived. I
was walking the Camino to commemorate my 55th birthday and to
rededicate the last third of my life for God’s glory. In addition, I brought a heart rock with
every name of my family (including Baby Farrow who I just found out is a girl
and I will meet her this December). I
prayed for each one during my long periods of solitude. The day before I started walking, my
devotional reading led me to ask two other questions that significantly
contributed to my spiritual blessings.
The author, Thomas Keating, sent me back to Genesis Chapter Three to answer
questions all sinners should answer. Where are you? And Why are you hiding? I
diligently answered those additional questions in my journal but didn’t ponder
what I had written until today.
The answer to Why did I come? was important, but the questions Where are you? and Why
are you hiding? were insightful in different ways. Without conscious consideration of these
later questions, I realized that God used my journey to chip away what would
keep me from truly dedicating my life to Him.
When I answered Where I am, I discovered that I was in hiding. I honestly didn’t believe that God would
touch me in such intimate and powerful ways.
The whole Camino was an experience of following God as He asked me to
come out from hiding. He invited me to
believe in His love. He wants me to
believe that He will come through for me even though I am afraid that He could
never be that good to me, His undeserving servant. Like the man I met, I thought I knew why I
was there, but God showed me why He was there and challenged me to stop hiding
from His goodness. Ecclesiastes 11:5
explains my experience on the Camino clearly:
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the
body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you
cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. The Camino confirmed
for me that I have absolutely no idea about expanses of God’s love for me.
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© 2016. Deborah R. Newman teatimeforyoursoul.com All Rights Reserved.
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