Dave Hop I began walking a familiar path, a winding old friend cut through a forest, bordered by trees and wild flowers and long grass. But the path seem to go on longer than expected, twisting and turning in new ways and before long it felt as if it wasn’t my old friend at all. It was going where it had never gone and I became uncertain.
It began to wind and weave, and then took an incline. This wasn’t right, I took this path for its ease and comfort, for all that was familiar and reassuring. And here I was breathing hard now, feeling the stretch and the weight of my own body pressing in on me. The scenery was changing too. Wild in places, barren in others. And I felt afraid. Yet I walked on, and after a while, before I even realised waves of weariness washed over me, taking the fear with it.
And I stopped worrying about the strangeness and the unknown, and began to study my surroundings, spotting tiny, unusually beautiful flowers, and pebbles that glinted and twinkled like jewels. The path wound on and so did I and I got the distinct feeling I might not be the same again.
I became agitated about the amount of time the walk was now taking, but I started to embrace the agitation and let it sit within me. For a brief period I forgot time altogether, it melted away, this may have been for quite a while but as it no longer mattered, who could say? The present moment took over, my senses sparkled with the presence of now, and I had the distinct feeling I was not walking alone.
Jesus spoke of being the gate, the door, the narrow road, all metaphors which allude to travelling. (John 10 v 7, Matthew 7 v 7 & 14)
How is the journey for you at the moment?
Do you feel like a pilgrim?
Would you rather be settled?
Has your road taken unexpected turns?
Have there been surprising discoveries along the way?
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