making a start

I've been thinking of myself more and more as a pilgrim lately. As it happens I am going to be a real pilgrim very shortly. Along with my husband, I am about to walk the Camino along the French way from St Jean Pied de Port across the Pyrennes and then west through Spain to Santiago de Compostela.

Of late, however, my life has taken on the need to keep putting one foot in front of the other so I have been an inner pilgrim as well.

I've been thinking more and more about the call of Jesus to come follow him. There was that call to get out of the boat, to leave all behind and follow Jesus. The other call was, of course, to follow Jesus' example and we do that everyday right where we are.

I've been singing old hymns to myself and the words have been going over and over in my mind. 'My faith it is an oaken staff the traveller's well-loved aid'; 'Guide me o thou great Jehovah'; 'Follow, follow I will follow Jesus' and that one so obscure even John (husband) didn't know it 'To be a pilgrim'.

There are little bits from Pilgrim's Progress that have been coming back to me. For some reason the most memorable scene from my childhood reading was the Slough of Despond. I've taken another look at it lately and for the life of me cannot work out what the man in the cage is all about. I really enjoyed Christian losing his burden and the description of the approach to the Celestial City though.