Pilgrim

"I set Your instructions to music and sing them as I walk this pilgrim way." Psalm 119:54

.A pilgrimage always starts in a place of unrest, uncertainty, and expectancy. About 5 years ago, I began a pilgrimage that started in a place of depression, anxiety, and lack of purpose. It began as a spiritual journey but ended in a physical journey, travelling from my home, my comfort zone, leaving behind friends and church and all the things I had been relying on for so long. I journeyed to Europe with my parents, and over the course of those weeks, I grew closer to God. I had nothing to rely on but Him. I was in a place where I didn't speak the language, I didn't have any of the people around me that I relied on, and I was exposed to a completely different culture. I remember the moment where it all came together, where it was just me and God, and I stood there absolutely sobbing. I was pouring out everything that was going on, just letting it all go, and in the process, God was doing a new work in me. He met me there, and I haven't been the same since. I could say my pilgrimage ended there, but the truth is, I'm still on a pilgrimage today, as are you.
We are all pilgrims.
The definition of pilgrim is this: a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place.
Never has there been a word to better describe me than this one. But in realizing that, I'm realizing that maybe it's time, time for another pilgrimage. And nothing scares me more than that thought. Because all I can think is that I'm not ready. I don't want to leave... I don't want to venture into the unknown because nothing will ever be the same again. Yes, I'm a pilgrim by nature. Yes, all of life is a pilgrimage in one way or another,  but sometimes the journey means actually journeying. It means getting up and moving forward, even if I just want everything to stay the same. Which brings me to the one thing that kept me through my first physical pilgrimage, and what will keep me through every other physical journey. This world is not my home.
We were not created for this place forever, and thank God for that. I want to be in a constant state of Homesickness, because Home in Heaven is what I was created for. If being a pilgrim is what reminds me of Home, then I'll do it. If jumping into the unknown is what reminds me where my true Home is, then so be it. Because keeping my eyes on Home, and living like I was made for there is what gives me Hope.

We are all pilgrims. For some, this is a spiritual state, a journey that is made inwardly between you and God. But for many others, this is a physical journey. And it can look like a few weeks in a foreign country, or it can mean leaving all you know behind and moving to a different place. Either way, it's daunting. It's unknown and it's scary and often, it's uninviting. But it's worth it. Every pilgrimage has a purpose, has a meaning and a reason behind it. If anything, a pilgrimage reminds you of where Home truly is.
I dont know what your journey looks like, but I pray you take it. I pray you have courage to walk through it and learn from it. I pray you remain in a constant state of Homesickness for our true Home, the one place we were truly created for. And I pray that as you walk your pilgrim way, you set His Words to music and sing them all day long. He'll never leave you. He'll never forsake you. He hasn't forgotten you. Be bold. Courageous. Expectant. Strong in Him.