Pilgrimage

pilgrimage - "a journey, esp. a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion"

Can normal everyday life be considered a pilgrimage? I think most of us consider a pilgrimage to be something that is deliberately long and focused on reaching a particular place. However, consider the possibility that normal everyday life is also a pilgrimage to be in the presence of God on a day to day basis until reaching the ultimate goal of an eternity spent in his presence.

Psalm 84:5-7 has the passage "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."

Using this passage with the analogy of normal everyday life as a pilgrimage would mean that even in our day-to-day existence, there will be times of long, arid, dry stretches (like the Valley of Baca... read the Bible text notes) but the springs and pools serve as blessings and refreshment... reminders of the ultimate joy that the experience of reaching Zion will bring.

May your day-to-day life bring you blessings of springs and pools as you go "from strength to strength" on your pilgrimage.

-Andy G.