The Journey - Lost

You are having a great trek through some of God’s greatest handiwork, whether mountain, valley or meadow and your walking companion just won’t shut up. That sounds unkind, but you must know what I mean. The two of you have peeled off from the rest of the group, and while you want to drink in the beauty of creation, your companion wants to talk and talk and talk! To make matters worse, when you do try to get into the conversation, it becomes very noticeable that your thoughts are not seen as important. In fact as you talk, your friend is already deciding what they will say next.

Have you ever wondered why some friends lose their way in their own Spiritual journey through life? I have noticed that we have a habit of asking God to step into a situation, and before He can guide us with His answer, we are already mouthing the next request having decided we know how to fix the first problem on our own. We don’t like it when that happens to us, so I wonder how God feels when we do it to Him?

Have you noticed that bad listening companions have few real friends?

To answer before listening— that is folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13

The Journey - Walking Group

A good way to walk or climb is to do it as a group. That way you get physical, emotional, and moral support from others who may be just like you, fit and healthy, and with a good positive outlook that you will make it to the destination safely. In a strange way when groups walk together, it has been shown that everybody feels less tired than if they had made the same climb alone! That is even more significant and true for those who are not seasoned walkers.

In a group walk there is always a leader. Someone who has been this way before you and is prepared to take a pace that suits even the slowest walker. This leader will know each person, their strengths and weaknesses, both physically and emotionally. Are they all up to the task?

In our faith walk, it is not difficult to see the parallels of the church and its pastor. I am also reminded of the shepherd in the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd’s voice is known to the sheep, and more importantly, the shepherd KNOWS his sheep, even by name. I get the image of some sheep gathered in small groups, and even in a certain part of the sheepfold. The shepherd knows where each sheep is. It is important to understand that he also knew there were 100, and one was lost. How else would he know that one had strayed except he knew the total number in his care?

If we accept the role of the pastor as a shepherd (after all, that is the meaning of the word) he will know each and every person in his care. He will know their names, who they associate with, and where they live, or am I taking the analogy too far? However, there can be no doubt that the role of the leader/shepherd/pastor is crucial to group success in reaching their goal.

For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them. Matthew 18:20

We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. Hebrews 10:25