Disruption!
When we engage in spiritual practices, we disrupt the everyday pattern of our lives in order to make space for God.... You are choosing disruption because you know that the Holy Spirit so often works through disruptions, teaching us, revealing our need for God, helping us to walk with Jesus in new ways.
~ Lynne M. Baab, Ph.D
camino series, 1.
This series is inspired by Jerome & Kellie’s 500-mile trek on the Camino Norte in May and June 2024. We offer these reflections and videos for enrichment on the pilgrimage of your own life!
I was talking with my friend John Freeman this week (former board member of The Vining Center and gifted spiritual director), sharing some of our takeaways from the Camino. I mentioned how, among five of us who walked together for much of the trek, three were experiencing profound turbulence as they attempt to re-enter their normal lives upon return.
Each seems to have lost their normal comfort with life-as-usual and are struggling to resume their prior roles. Personally, I have not felt this quite that dramatically, but I get it. The Camino was an alternate—and enlivening—reality, and five weeks in that zone marked us deeply. It’s difficult to just snap out of that new dimension and snap back into the old one. The Camino was, and continues to be, a disrupter. In turn, John shared with me some of the disruptions in his own journey throughout this past year.
The next day I was having dinner with a group of men who have journeyed together for over a year now. One of them talked extensively about the overwhelming challenge of his wife’s cancer and her two-year prognosis—his hopes and fears, her hopes and fears, the family dynamics, etc. Talk about extreme disruption.
As I was messaging one of our Camino colleagues, I found myself thinking, I think it’s supposed to be difficult to come back! If it were super easy to just slide back into our old lives, then the Camino experience must not have been very significant. As it is, the gravitas of that radical pilgrimage has tested us in deep, largely unconscious ways—our physical capabilities, our relational skills under stress, our connection with creation and the Divine, our satisfaction with our values, identities, and life choices… Disruption is a liminal space: the place where growth and change are possible. And yeah, it’s uncomfortable. I wasn’t planning to write about this particular Camino theme until that conversation with John brought it crashing into the forefront of my attention.
I daresay that almost all of us have some disruptive force at work in our personal worlds right now if we tune in. The temptation, of course, is to deny it, try to fix it, or self-medicate it. But while each of these options is deeply human and understandable, to take these routes is to lose something infinitely precious! Humans simply cannot grow without disruption.
Take grape vines for instance: The best wine comes from vines that are stressed most greatly by temperature, rocky soil, and lack of water. On top of those pressures, the skillful vintner adds more stress by the vendage verte or “green harvest”—actually cutting off large portions of grapes from the vine about six weeks prior to actual harvest. This practice not only costs the labor of cutting but obviously reduces the resulting yield. Why would anyone do that?
Simple. This radical stressing of the vines increases the quality of the remaining grapes, altering the leaf-to-grape ratio and concentrating the sugars of the remaining grapes destined for the bottle. Could such be true in our lives? I think so.
What were some costs of the Camino for me?
Perpetually aching feet and quads.
Daily uncertainty about where we would eat and sleep.
Periodically getting wet and cold.
Constant language challenges to get what we needed.
The anxiety of Kellie’s sickness for two weeks, not knowing when and how to get medical help.
Loss of time and income, plus new expenses.
What do disruptions like these mean for our souls? Well, if we resist them, they don’t mean much. But if we “embrace the suck” and open our hearts to our vulnerabilities, dramatic shifts can occur inside us. Spiritual and emotional growth that might otherwise take years (if they happen at all) can occur in days. Disruption is a can-opener for the soul and a catalyst for spiritual formation.
I found myself wondering if the book of James had anything to say about disruption because the Camino de Santiago means “The Way of Saint James,” culminating at the cathedral dedicated to his memory and ministry in the Iberian Peninsula. Turns out, James has several mentions of the word perseverance, which I think carries the requisite connotation of disruption…
The testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete. (1:3,4)
Having stood the test (of perseverance), that person will receive the crown of life. (1:12)
We count as blessed those who have persevered. (5:11)
How do these land for you?
growing your soul
Is there a blessing embedded in your persevering disruption? How do you sense it bringing fresh maturity to your soul?
serving our world
How do we “finish the work” of disruption and perseverance in such a way that can heal our world?
takeaway
Welcome disruption.
This week’s video
Set to a photo/video collage from our 2024 trek of the Camino Norte, this is a prayer for the journey of life! We are all pilgrims, and every day is a fresh pilgrimage… if we have eyes to see it. Written by my dear friend Anthony Shelton, this prayer sustained us every day as we walked 500 miles over 36 days in northern Spain. We hope you find it an inspiration for your journey today!