Pilgrimage

"Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage...they go from strength to strength, till each appears before God..." 

Psalm 84:5-7

As I read this passage of scripture, the word pilgrimage grabs me and I think about what it implies. The dictionary says this:

Pil.grim.age 

Any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homage; a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion. 

What does it mean for us, God's people, to have our hearts "set on pilgrimage"? It means to live with endurance and discipline, to acknowledge that we are are on a journey towards something. A devotion to something above and beyond our selves and this world. A long journey towards something sacred. 

Matthew 6:21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If we have our heart set on pilgrimage, if we "treasure" pilgrimage, we are not necessarily anticipating an easy or comfortable journey. We are prepared. I always say that I don't know how to travel light =). We are not to travel light because that would mean vulnerability along the way. The water must be poured for thirst, the bread must be baked and packed for hunger, the blanket folded up for warmth, and those we love brought along for companionship and support. We are to travel prepared for the long journey ahead because that is exactly what our life is, a long journey. How we prepare for that journey speaks a testimony to what and who we believe. What and who we are vulnerable to. 

Today as you set your heart on pilgrimage, consider how you have prepared for the journey ahead and the purpose you are paying homage to. What has your heart treasured above all else and to what sacred place are you devoting your walk to? Where does your strength lie? May all that you do speak testimony to the God we are serving because truly, it's all about the long journey towards Him. -jenna