Midgett Adventures~ #34 Weary Pilgrim

(Here is a story to encourage weary hearts)

Thick mists of darkness rested heavy in the valley, adorned only by a lonely path, which continued to dip lower into darkness. A weary traveler trudged along quietly; his eyes filled with pain and unspeakable anguish. His shoes appeared ragged and worn, his clothes were threadbare, and the marks of suffering scarred his heart. Obviously he seemed to be in search of something, but the length of his journey and the bitterness of pain had snatched the spring from his step, the light from his eyes, and the joy from his heart.

Sitting down on a small bolder, the man lowered his head and closed his eyes. The glorious city---his home---seemed out of reach. Oh, the stories he had heard, and longed to believe about the city of the Lamb, but the darkness seemed too thick, the road too long, and his heart too weary to continue on to his destination. Hunger and thirst filled his being, but he ignored the pangs of his soul and shut his eyes to the light. He was a pilgrim, but it was too hard, he was too tired, and his soul was too overcome by despair.

At that exact moment of soul darkness, the lonely man heard approaching steps. He looked up and found that another traveler dressed in worn clothes was coming down the path. Something was different about him though---something about the intensity of his gaze or maybe the sincerity of warmth the weary traveler felt from the man’s heart.

“Fellow Traveler, how is your journey so far?” The man asked the weary traveler, stopping at the small bolder.

“Good, but it is not as I imagined it to be.” He replied simply.

“The road is difficult, isn’t it?”

“Yes, very difficult and dreary.” The weary traveler sighed and peered down at his worn shoes.

“True,” The man sat down on another bolder. “But does the goal, which brought you to walk down this path not burn in your heart, causing you to see that which is unseen?”

“I suppose, but darkness rests in my soul and has pushed out all the joy I once possessed. I no longer can see the goal of this road and I am simply to weary to continue on. My lot is a difficult one and this road is too hard.”

The man shook his head. “Did you expect this road to be easy? Did you not know that for you to enjoy true life you would be required to daily die to self? If you want an easy path, there are plenty to choose from, but if you want what will last then don’t let the difficulties you experience now deter you from the joy that will be yours in such a short time.”

The weary traveler nodded. “I know what you say is true, but it still does not help me feel any better about my weary heart or the awfulness of this lonely path.”

“Do feelings matter?” The man prodded. “If you wait until you feel good about walking down this path you will never make it to the glorious city of the Lamb. Don’t think of how you feel---think of the Lamb. Don’t sit wallowing in weariness---get up and begin walking again and the Lamb will strengthen your weary heart. Laziness will keep you in darkness as long as it can, but diligence to seek the Lamb will be like the light of the sunrise to your soul. Open your map---the Word of the Lamb---and light will spill over the path (though only enough light for each new step).”

The traveler pondered the wise words of the man before him. “You are right.” His heart still lingered in sadness.

“Perhaps you have forgotten what is real, my Friend,” The man’s voice was firm with conviction yet also filled with compassion. “This world is but a whisper---a shadow---but what lays ahead down this road is real and true and better than anything else you have ever known. Go forth now and be about the work the Lamb has assigned you. Walk the path, rejoice through darkness, sing in the valleys, enjoy the mountain peaks, help the weary, come along the broken, fix your eyes on the Lamb, think of Him lest you sit here forever until it is too late. If you are a true pilgrim you will carry on because the Lamb won’t let you go.”