Author: Dave Dishman (Page 34 of 390)

I have walked sections of the Camino de Santiago several times. This week, however, I traveled a route new to me. I enjoyed fresh sights, climbed surprising hills and hiked down to the ocean. These were paths my feet had not traveled before.

But generations before me walked these tracks in pursuit of a connection with God, and generations will follow. Isaiah speaks of such peoples when he describes how the Lord subdues kings who oppose Him, and makes a way for those who follow:

He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD – with the first of them and with the last – I am he (Isaiah 41:3-4).

The Lord led the first generation of pilgrims, and he calls forth his followers today. In the future, right up until the sound of his trumpet, the Lord will move with those who walk with him.

It matters not if our path is well-grooved or not yet traveled. The Lord promises to carry us through, from the first until the last.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: Boardwalk to the sea at the end of the Camino

In my preparations for the Camino de Santiago I packed a headlamp with fresh batteries. A number of pilgrims enjoy waking up early and walking before dawn. I’ve not been tempted toward this practice, but walking the trail in the dark requires illumination.

A good consequence of packing a headlamp is that time every time I rummage through my bag I notice it and think of this verse:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

Like the brightest headlamp, the Good Book illuminates the winding paths of our life. Best to keep the Scriptures handy when your trail leads into the dark.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: My headlamp ready for the dark

Our day started drippy, and soon a full scale storm moved across the landscape. My wife and I walked thirteen miles through heavy gales and pelting rain. This leg of the Camino promised beautiful scenery, but I saw little of it with my head inside a poncho bent against the wind.

An unrelenting shower ran down my legs, filling my waterproof shoes. I squished through the afternoon and wrung enough water out of my socks at the end of the day to fill a small glass. Our blissful day of strolling turned into a slog.

Which (after drying out) makes for a good reflection on life. A day of pleasant hiking turned into a gut-it-out experience. However, as I walked past field after field of newly planted corn peeking from the ground, I realized that as I cursed under my breath, nearby farmers luxuriated in the glorious rain falling on their crops.

I’m reminded of this line from Jesus — God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

I’m not sure if I’m among the just or the unjust—I’ll find out when the time comes. But I can rest assured that just as a good harvest springs from showers dropping across Spain, good eventually emerges from the rains that fall in our lives.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: Rows of new corn along the Camino route

My wife and I decided to take an alternate route on the second to the last day of our Camino journey in Spain. A less-traveled path promised unmatched views of the ocean and lots of time alone. But no one warned us about the nettles.

The trail indeed proved gorgeous, winding above the ocean and offering breathtaking views. But thick gorse bushes and nettles lined much of the narrow track. Planning for a hot day I wore shorts, which provided no help as I plunged through the briars. I eventually completed the hike and now have the scars to prove it.

Life often proves nettle-some (annoying or difficult). Even with diligence, we cannot avoid every bramble in our path. But worse are the thorns that sprout due to our inattention. In Proverbs we read:

I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere (Proverbs 24:30-31). The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway (Proverbs 15:19).

I experience plenty of nettlesome situations without creating any more of my own. When I ignore the sound teachings of Scripture I choose the way of a sluggard—a lazy fool.

Tonight my ransacked legs are reminding me of the pain found in briars and nettles. Tomorrow I’ll choose a broader path and avoid them altogether. Which is often a good idea for life as well.

Camino de Santiago 2024

Photo: My leg after a dance with the nettles