Along the Way

For many years now this image has inspired my spiritual journey. The travels of Christian in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress vividly describe the decisions, challenges and blessings of my life. This photo reminds me of that one critical moment in my journey that I must keep fixed in my memory. Christ's death means my life.

Now I saw in my dream that the highway up which Christian was to travel was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. Up this way, therefore, did Christian run, but not without great difficulty because of the load on his back.
He ran until he came to a hill, and upon that hill stood a cross, and at the bottom was a sepulchre. So I say in my dream that just as Christian came up to the cross, his burden was loosed from his shoulders and fell from his back and began to tumble, and continued to do so until it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I say it no more.
Then Christian was glad and lighthearted and said with a merry heart, "He has given me rest through his sorrow, and life through his death." He stood still for a while to look and wonder, for it surprised him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked and looked, until the tears streamed down his cheeks.

May I never loose sight of the wonder of what Jesus did for me. It was my defining moment for the rest of the journey.