The Way of a Pilgrim

My thoughts this month have been on the theme of pilgrimage. Our life is one big journey, a journey to, with, and in the Lord.

Along the way, we sometimes visit places of special significance--places that have shaped others before us, places where we have made promises or vows, places of struggle, places of joy.
But today's devotional reading focused on repentance. Repentance is an integral part of any journey. As we veer off course, we need to concede our mistakes, and make a fresh start in the right direction.

Sometimes repentance is the goal of a pilgrimage. The journey is a time to reflect on our mistakes, to take stock of our lives, to gain our bearings, to apprehend the Spirit, and to yield afresh to the Lord's ways.

Oddly enough, some thoughts have begun to come full circle for me in this area. Years ago I read The Way of a Pilgrim, the tale of a 19th century Russian peasant who wants to learn how to "pray without ceasing." He is taught the "Jesus Prayer":

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour, have mercy on me, a sinner.

And he learns to repeat the prayer again and again, again and again, until it becomes as breathing to him.

Well, I tried it...and it just felt like I was being insincere. I felt like I was trying some magic incantation or something. And yet, I think I missed the spirit of the prayer.

It's not a prayer that demeans. It's a prayer that calls us to realize our ongoing need for course correction.

The way of a pilgrim is a repentant way. We are loved. We are empowered by grace. And we are called to keep in step with the Spirit. To do so, we are constrained to come to terms with our missteps. God illumines our darkness; He wounds us with His love so that He may bring greater healing, deeper life, and fullness of love.

Psalm 19:12--Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Psalm 139:24--See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

This is the way of a pilgrim.