It amazes me how life fits. My life with others’ lives. My story with others’ stories. My experiences with others’ experiences. Just this morning I’ve seen a connection between what others are living and what I am learning.
Have you even thought much of the word “Pilgrimage?” I came across the word this morning as I was reading my Bible and it resonated with me. It reminded me of what a couple of my friends had been sharing with me last night and I think they are on a pilgrimage.
I looked up the word and according to Dictionary.com it means “a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an actof religious devotion; any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homage.” The word reminds me of a picture drawn by Mary Engelbreit:
The verse I read this morning in my Bible is Psalms 84:5. It says, ” Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” I’m reminded that we are all on pilgrimages. We are all on a long journey, and we just call that journey life. We think it is made up of sleeping, working, playing, sunrises and sunsets. To some degree, it is. And it’s more than that.
I believe we are on a journey to discover how awesome God is. We each experience ups and downs: we are granted great times when the view is spectacular and we also experience moments, days, years when the rain pours and there is a hole in our tent. In the midst of our travels God longs for us to see His goodness. The verse in Psalms 84 doesn’t say the pilgrimage is easy, it says I need to set my heart on discovering, learning, growing, experiencing whatever the journey dishes out because that’s what a pilgrim does. The verse says blessed, or happy is, the one who finds her inner strength in God. The goal of the pilgrimage is knowing God, the one who is the Creator, the One who has always been, and always will be, the One who gave His life so that I could find Him.
I don’t know where you are on your pilgrimage. You may be having the time of your life, literally. You may be on a part of the journey that is hard, discouraging, and the path is hard to see. I do know that God’s strength is more than enough for all Princesses who travel with their hearts set on finding and knowing God more, and discovering His strength.
Blessings on your journey today, Pilgrim Princess.
