Motivation lacks and sadness tracks down our faces, but life we have to the full; to the overflowing.
As I walked the Camino I was stripped of a schedule and consistency. It can be hard to get accustomed to change, but I found it a worthy challenge. Laying down the need to control everything and depending on God was a struggle at first, but it felt so freeing when i let it all go. I became filled with joy just from spending time with heavenly father. I am growing more in depending on him who gives me strength while also learning so much from it.
One of the things I have learned is how connecting with God makes it a million times easier to connect with others. My ministry while traveling was connecting with people in pursuit of something bigger than themselves. They were an empty shell seeking to be filled. They were like hermit crabs leaving their smaller shells and searching for a bigger one that fit their bodies. My goal was to show them what they could be filled with. The spirit of Yahweh.
I remember our first day on the Camino there was a man who was in charge of the hostel we stayed at. He saw that I had a ukulele in my bag and approached me with a gift. It was a pick for strumming. I sang him a song while giggling and using his pick. It made him smile and laugh to see me enjoy his gift and be filled with joy after walking 15 miles. I then think of the last day on the hike. All of my squad mates and I were so excited to finish the Camino that day; so much so that we started playing a game of tag. When we started chasing each other we started laughing and it became harder to notice the pain in our bodies. There was so much joy in our spirits, other hikers on the trail could see it. Whether they were annoyed with our childish antics or inspired by them it motivated them to push through till the end.
I saw so much laughter on this trip and it always brought me back to God and his character. The kingdom of God is filled with the Lords presence and his presence brings joy. I have seen that joy in laughing with strangers, leaders, and new friends I’ll have for all of eternity.
When I think of the kingdom of God I see his children laughing with each other. Being so overfilled with joy that we cannot stop rejoicing at what the Lord has done for us.
