Holy Pilgrimage

Summer is upon us and there is no better time to catch our breath and rest for a while.  Some will travel and others will simply stay put and find refreshment in doing nothing.  Regardless of where you find yourself this summer – this July – do not forget that God is with you.  Although church services continue through the summer, Sunday after Sunday, God is not confined to the walls of the Sanctuary.  Yes, I encourage you to attend Sunday services when in town, but if you are unable to be present remember that you are not alone – God is ever present with you!  Psalm 139:23 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.”  Even though summer is a time of rest and refreshment, we must never forget the continual need to be awakened by God.  Jesus, rested at times, but God the Father was never far from his thoughts, his purpose, and his journey; because they are One in substance and purpose.  A devotional I came across said this, “Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God.  By the time your life is over, you will have spent six months at stoplights, eight months opening junk mail, a year and a half looking for lost stuff, and a whopping five years standing in various lines.  Why don’t you give these moments to God?  By giving God your whispering thoughts, the common becomes uncommon.”  Giving our ‘whispering thoughts’ to the Lord can most certainly turn an everyday commute into a pilgrimage.  And what is the difference between a pilgrimage and our everyday journeys?  A pilgrimage is holy and it is essentially a search for spiritual significance, which can be a deep, metaphorical journey into one’s abiding faith and belief… the faith in Jesus that grounds us.  Keep Jesus upon your heart, and let the Lord be present in all your waking moments.  Your home can become your cathedral and your time away a holy pilgrimage.  In other words, wherever the summer finds you, remember God is ever present, ever listening, and ready to receive your deepest thoughts.  Stay focused on the divine purpose and journey as you enjoy a time of rest, here and afar!