Pilgrimage

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordon and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry…

Luke 4:1-13

Devotion

About ten years ago, I decided to walk each day during Lent. My desire was to draw closer to God and walking in prayer seemed like a good way to do it. I traveled the same path for 40 days and although I didn’t call it a pilgrimage, that is what it was. Often pilgrimage is framed within the context of journeying to a religious site but in my case, it was a sacred journey inward. Jen Manglos defines pilgrimage as “an outward mirroring of the inward transformative movement with God, circling deeper and deeper to come home to our truest self. Pilgrimage can take many shapes and forms in our life- through our circumstances, our joys, our deepest pains, and even through walking.”

The sacred act of pilgrimage invites us to slow down, whether we are traveling to a holy site or walking around our backyard. By slowing down and eliminating distractions, we return to our truest identity, which is not found in what we do or what we own but in who we are — God’s beloved.

In a way, Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness was like a pilgrimage.  After spending 40 days walking and praying, Satan appears. He tempts Jesus by appealing to three fundamental human desires – hunger, authority, and power. In essence, he tries to entice Jesus to prove he is the Son of God. But Jesus doesn’t have to prove anything. He knows who he is through his relationship with his heavenly Father. Through his baptism, Jesus’s identity as the Son of God, is revealed. In the desert, Satan tempts Jesus to disown his identity in a non-relational way by enticing him to perform spectacular miracles. Performance is not God’s way and Jesus knows it. Jesus triumphs over Satan because he is secure in his identity as God’s beloved Son.

And so, it is with us. God is not interested in what we are doing for Him as much as He is interested in who we are becoming with Him. God desires a relationship with us. When we spend time with God in prayer, meditation, reading scripture or simply being still, we are cultivating a relationship with our heavenly Father.

Prayer

Dear Lord, lead me in a pilgrim’s way, that I may know you more deeply, more intimately. Help me let go of distractions that weigh me down and that hide my true identity. Help me to trust and believe in your promise- that you know my name and that I am deeply love by you. Amen.