Going on a pilgrimage can be a rewarding, but equally challenging experience.
The Revd Lesley Charlton, Minister of Kingston United Reformed Church, did just that on a recent sabbatical as she wanted to interact with as many different communities as possible, reflecting on what she found, something which a train, bus or car ride could never achieve. Here, she shares her experience from her time on the road to Beith, Scotland.
Every morning, I woke to the sound of my alarm for an early start to get a much natural light as possible. After breakfast, I would put my boots on, pack up and set off.
No big decisions, just lots of little questions. Are my phones charged? Do I have a tissue? Is my water bottle full? Do I have snacks? Am I walking in the right direction? How much further do I have to go until the next stop? Especially for the last five miles each day, which nearly killed me.
Every day I walked around 20 miles which many people can do. But it is a challenge, though, to face another 20 miles the next day, and the next, and the next, until you have walked the distance you have set yourself. Most people could do my job as a minister of word and sacraments for a day. Listening, planning, praying, reading, visiting, preaching. But it is doing it the next day, and the next, and the next that makes it difficult. In my case, 35 years in ministry and 440 miles to my parents’ house in Ayrshire.
Like my journey to Scotland, much of Walking the Way of Jesus is small, dull steps in the right direction. It is about setting your intention and continuing your journey, no matter how tiring or challenging.
There was never a time when I was not going to do this. There was no way I was going to quit or stop. There were times when I was exhausted. There were times when I was moving very slowly and was vulnerable to making bad decisions, but the joy was in the countryside the exploring, the freedom of each day and the achievement of doing the walk.’
As well as Walking the Way metaphorically, have you been on a pilgrimage? What challenges did you face? What did you learn? How has this influenced your discipleship journey with Jesus? Let us know.
