Watch an inexperienced hiker move...
Illustration
Watch an inexperienced hiker move along a new path and at some point you are bound to see it. The hiker will stop, pull out a map, and check landmarks in the distance. If all is well, the hiker will smile, or perhaps stand a little straighter, and then continue on the way. If the landmarks are not where they are expected to be, the hiker will look about, puzzle it through, and then move off in a new direction. When it comes to taking a hike, checking the path is crucial. The best hikers know this. They do not take the journey for granted.
The same is true in the journey of faith. Almost paradoxically, the farthest travelers appear to have exercised the greatest caution. Ignatius Loyola engaged in a rigorous personal examination at the end of each day and urged his followers to do the same. Among the most cherished writings by the prolific Søren Kierkegaard is a brief series of three meditations bearing the title "For Self-Examination." And moving to our very roots in the Word, Paul, knowing both himself and us too well, reminds the joyful followers of Jesus to continue carefully, not shifting from the path, that at the last they may come forth mature and whole. The call to follow on faith's journey is a gift, but we must never take our progress for granted. Within us, the essential question needs to arise repeatedly: "Are we on track?"
The same is true in the journey of faith. Almost paradoxically, the farthest travelers appear to have exercised the greatest caution. Ignatius Loyola engaged in a rigorous personal examination at the end of each day and urged his followers to do the same. Among the most cherished writings by the prolific Søren Kierkegaard is a brief series of three meditations bearing the title "For Self-Examination." And moving to our very roots in the Word, Paul, knowing both himself and us too well, reminds the joyful followers of Jesus to continue carefully, not shifting from the path, that at the last they may come forth mature and whole. The call to follow on faith's journey is a gift, but we must never take our progress for granted. Within us, the essential question needs to arise repeatedly: "Are we on track?"
