Along the Way

Lessons for Life's Journey

This past June I had the privilege of walking with my wife for 560 kilometers. She is currently making her way back to Melfort on foot from Burlington, Ontario. Here’s some life lessons I learned over the four weeks of pounding the pavement on the Trans-Canada Highway.

First, life is a journey that is intentionally marked out for us. It’s not a single event, but a series of opportunities to experience the guiding, caring hand of God. I was daily amazed by the divine appointments with people and events. Life is not a random series of chance circumstances. Rather, it is an intentional path that our faithful heavenly Father leads us along, ultimately to fulfill his purpose. It was this conviction that motivated David to affirm, “I trust in you, O LORD; . . . my times are in your hands.”

Second, a journey is completed one step at a time. Life is a series of experiences and decisions. When I focused on the whole journey ahead of me each day, I became overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. I learned that the only way I could face each day was to be concerned with one step at a time. I was able to find strength to complete one step, and the accumulation of each step was the sum of each day’s journey. God promised Israel that “your strength will equal your days.” With the challenges of each day comes the provision of God’s grace for that day; no more, no less.

Third, in order to complete the journey, you must endure the pain; not avoid it. At one point on the road, my wife had enough of my complaining and gently rebuked me: “You’ll never get anywhere with that attitude. You’ve got to push through the pain.” In the Scriptures we are encouraged to endure trials. Why? Because the painful experiences of life are not meant to be a hindrance but a means to maturing in character. James says it brings us to the place of “lacking nothing.” Don’t avoid difficult situations, through them God is making you into a better person.

Not another Hill?!

That brings me to the fourth lesson: don’t loose sight of the finish! The Simple Steps Walk developed from a vision to raise financial resources to expand the Village of Hope to the next level of education and care for over 300 impoverished children in Burkina Faso, West Africa. When my perspective was blurred by the harsh weather and road conditions or cluttered by the debris and garbage in the ditch, I very quickly became distracted from the final goal and discouraged. In the journey of faith we dare not loose sight of our ultimate hope: to know and enjoy God forever. The writer of the book of Hebrews puts it this way: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, . . . and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The only way you or I can finish the journey of life well and pass into the next in God’s presence is by trusting in Jesus Christ. Don’t loose sight of that!

Fifth, it’s necessary to keep an eye on the road map. At times on the walk it was necessary to make some course corrections due to breakdowns and obstacles along the way. Life’s journey is marked by sinful distractions and selfish deviations from God’s intended path. There is the real danger of getting lost or stalled in our spiritual progress. Paul warned that some have become “shipwrecked in their faith.” It is critical that we constantly consult God’s map (the Scriptures), keep in step with God’s Guide (the Holy Spirit), and respond to God’s compass (our conscience).

Sixth, when you walk that far with someone, you will inevitably step on their toes or trip over them. When that happens, you can’t walk away or avoid the offense. There’s no where to go on the Trans-Canada Highway in the middle of nowhereville, northern Ontario. You have to face the problem. The temptation is to become defensive or create a diversion. This is the futile result of seeing your companion as the problem. The solution is to humbly take each others’ hand and walk together towards the problem and tackle it together. This kind of humility brings about responses of repentance and forgiveness that result in restoration.

Two is better than one.