Leaving.

Bonus post on Pilgrimage.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

~ Psalm 84:5

Then the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country…and I will bless you….” So Abram left.

~ Genesis 12:1,2,4

Whether we take it literally or spiritually (and both are legitimate) pilgrimage is not a casual affair. Pilgrimage requires something stringent of us, and at least part of the cost is that we must leave something comfortable and familiar. Without a leaving, there is no pilgrimaging. Are you up for that?

It’s difficult for me to picture Abraham’s world—the middle-eastern culture of 3700 years ago—but I can well imagine what it must have meant for him to leave his country and his people behind. It was not only inconvenient and emotionally wrenching, it was downright dangerous; safety was found in groups, the larger the better. So this leaving was an impressive act of faith and cost him on many levels, not the least of which was the likely misunderstanding and even ridicule of his tribe.

Are you aware of having paid a price to adopt a pilgrim spirit in your life? Have you made decisions for “holy wandering” that have raised the eyebrows of those you love? Have you forsaken common securities in order to honor this inner or outer leaving?

Or is it just now, right in this immediate season of your life, that you hear God calling you to step out into the unknown? And perhaps you are counting the cost, as Jesus recommended before starting a new venture (Lk 14). What are you willing to give up… and what are you not willing to give up? (It’s easier for me to ask these questions than to answer them!)

The cost of leaving is real, and we have to come to terms with that, but there is more. There is also a blessing for leaving.

God promised Abraham that if he would take the leap and leave his securities behind, he would receive a blessing. Among other things, God says, I will bless you… and you will be a blessing to others. For decades, when I read that I assumed that promise was unique to Abe. If this one guy, with an absolutely monumental calling on his life, left his homeland and ventured out into the desert, he would change the trajectory of all history. True enough. But now I think it’s not just about Abe; I think it’s about all of us. I think that every costly decision to cast off the normal securities of this world and to chart an untested course toward a God-sized, God-initiated dream brings serious blessing. Both to ourselves and to the larger world.

I’ve invited you to consider the cost you’re willing to invest in choosing a pilgrim life, however God defines that for you; now I invite you to consider the blessing that would accompany that choice. Honestly, that may be the harder part to imagine.

What does it even mean to be blessed? For me it begins in my very identity and worth: To be blessed is to feel chosen, delighted in, welcomed, part of something vast and good. Who doesn’t want that? To be blessed is to not be alone; it’s to be in the company of others where I am seen and known, loved and wanted. Being blessed means that my creative gifts are accepted in the world such that I can practically support myself and my family. Being blessed means that I have the resources for long-term intimate relationships. It means a lifetime of love and meaning that withstands the inevitable griefs and losses.

And of course, as Abraham discovered, an essential part of being blessed is the desire and capacity to bless others. How are you experiencing that in your life right now? Who is benefitting from the image of God in you these days?

Is your heart set on pilgrimage? I hope so. This is what we’re made for. The blessing, to you and to the world, is worth the cost.

growing the soul

This is a weighty post. I invite you to spend some unhurried time with these big questions and consider what pilgrimage is meant to look like in your life and your community. With that conviction in place, it’s probably time for some fresh leaving.

serving the world

Now connect the dots between your story and Abe’s. How will your leaving bring blessing to others?

takeaway

Step. Out.