Wouldn't Take Nothing for the Journey Now

Maybe it’s just that I’m over 50 and arthritis is setting in, but today, this verse stuck with me, “Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees and make straight paths for your feet so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12: 12-13) Yep, many mornings I have drooping hands and weak knees. Speak to me, God.

The metaphor of journey is one of the underlying currents of both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament – Abraham and Sarah leaving their home and journeying thousands of miles to find the land that God had promised; the Israelites wandering for forty years in the wilderness on the way to their new home; Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem and beginning the journey toward his death and resurrection; Paul traveling all over the known world to spread the Gospel. It’s all about the journey, folks. We were never meant to stay where we are. 

But the writer of Hebrews borrows on the words of Isaiah and John the Baptist to remind us that before we journey, we’ve got some work to do. “Make straight paths” – prepare the way, be mindful, do your homework. Because if you don’t, you’re sure to stumble and put something out of joint. You may just be worse off than before you started. 

When we start a journey, there are things that we have to do – pick the destination, figure out the best mode of transportation, stock up supplies and find some traveling companions. And our “journey” in life is no different. 

Pick your destination – where do you want to end up?  You may be like me, and find that the journey of life has taken you in many unusual twists and turns and you’ve landed in many “in-between places” that you never imagined. And I believe that each of those in-between places have been part of the overall journey. But I try to keep fixed on the goal, which as a Wesleyan Methodist, I would describe it as “going on to perfection.” Perfect in love of God, self and neighbour. 

Figure out your mode of transportation – how will you get there? Prayer, service, worship, fellowship. What are the spiritual practices that will lead you toward your goal? It may be something that you don’t even consider a spiritual practice – social activism, art, kindness, compassion. Each of these can be a vehicle for personal and communal change. 

Stock up on supplies – keep yourself fuelled. For me, I’m thinking ice cream and fried chicken. But without something more nourishing, I’m going to lose steam. Without real sustenance, I will stumble and these poor arthritic knees will surely be “put out of joint.” Again, it is our spiritual practices and the Word of God which can provide us with real food for the journey. 

Pick some traveling companions – who is going with you, and who might lead you astray? My traveling companions have been a weird and varied lot. Some of them have been with me from the beginning like my parents, but many of them I just pick up for a time until we part ways and head down different roads. I value what I’ve learned from each of them – love, loyalty, strong faith, but also betrayal, bigotry in many forms and false faith. Without the experiences of those traveling companions, I couldn’t be the person, and Christian, I am today. 

It's not a coincidence that some of the best African-American spiritual songs are about journeys and traveling. The journey to freedom and equality mirrors the journey towards God. One of my favorite songs is “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round”, which was used in the Sixties civil rights marches, “Keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’, marching into freedom land.”

God doesn’t tell us the journey is easy, God doesn’t tell us the journey is short, and God doesn’t even tell us that we’ll all get there. But God tells us to make a plan, and get on your way, just “Go.” And, if you plan well and make straight paths, the end will not result in tired feet, aching joints and a heavy heart, but in healing, wholeness and joy.