Journey to transformation

To journey without being changed is to be a nomad

The change without journeying is to be a chameleon

To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim

(Mark Nepo)

My husband and I went on many journeys, both within Australia and abroad. After four years of retirement from work and not long before he passed away Neil counted the countries we’d visited to be 67. We were blessed to have had the resources to make these trips. We were amazed, challenged, in awe of and sometimes deeply saddened or moved by what we saw and experienced, both in the environment and in the lives of people from many other countries. After he passed away I was often asked if I was going to go on another overseas trip. I was close to 70 years old and counting the numerous trips within Australia that we’d also enjoyed, I reckoned I’d been on more journeys than the number of years I’d been alive. While I still enjoy a short sojourn to beautiful places where I can soak in the wonder of creation, or a visit with precious friends and family, this chapter of my life has been more focused on an inner journey; remembering and reflecting on all I learned and was inspired by on past journeys, having the time and space to ponder on and appreciate the collective wisdom of those who have mentored, guided, challenged and loved me. When Neil and I were travelling on our various journeys we were having fun, we were inspired, we were being refreshed and made ready for whatever work and service was ahead for us, but we were also being changed; changes I recognise now more than I did at the time, changes I’m thankful for.

Some people make pilgrimages to sacred sites in order to intentionally be changed by the experience or the destination. The core idea is that the journey itself is intended to bring about a significant change within one, not just reach the destination. Recently I watched a movie, The Way, My Way, based on the true story of a middle aged Australian man, Bill Bennett, who decided to walk the Camino de Santiago, an 800 kilometre trek from the border of France to the city of Santiago, where some believe are buried the remains of the Apostle James. The movie is based on the book Bill wrote about his experience. He admits he did not do this walk with any spiritual intention but acknowledges that the challenges he faced along the way, the determination he needed to keep going, the people he met on the journey, changed him. The transformative power of such a journey involves a deeper understanding of one’s own thoughts, emotions and values. It allows a person to connect with themselves on a deeper level, to reflect on their priorities and choices, to be confronted with their strengths and weaknesses. Of course, such a journey does not automatically mean a person will be transformed for the better. But the opportunity is there for those who dare to venture on such a journey.

It's also very possible, and perhaps sadly, more often the case that we are transformed by journeys we do not choose but are thrust upon us; journeys through grief, betrayal, loss, tragedy. How challenging and disturbing is it to reflect on the journey of Joseph’s life in Genesis (37-50)? He was forced away from his father’s house where he’d been content and complacent. His family props were taken away, he was condemned to service, betrayed, imprisoned, challenged to extraordinary tasks and eventually emerged a transformed person. His story is just one of many in the Scriptures of life journeys that are incredibly challenging and which most of us would avoid at all costs.

So, it’s reasonable to ask, do we want to be transformed? Or do we want to be changed only by the journeys we choose; the pleasurable, exciting ones? Who doesn’t wince at the words of James; "Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". (1:2-4).

Would we choose to be simply a nomad in this life, journeying through with the least challenge and hardship, changed by nothing? Would we rather be chameleons, settling for an outer appearance of change or a reformation of behaviour in order to fit in? Or do we want life to be a profoundly spiritual and great adventure, where we embark upon and persevere in a journey of deep transformation, so we “reflect the glory of the Lord, and are being transformed into His image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit".( 2 Corinthians 3:18). Without transformation our Christian life will be a mere belonging system, or a mere belief system. It will not radically change our hearts and minds, our perspective or our motivation. Paul makes it clear in Romans 12 (1-2). "I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will."

One thing I have come to be sure of as I reflect on the journey of my life is that we can be encouraged in that whatever we are journeying through, chosen or not, it is the Lord who brings about the change in us. It’s by God’s grace we are transformed, by the work of the Spirit within us. But we need to have that longing to go deeper, as the Psalmist expressed: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, Oh God”. (Ps 42) And as Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6). We need to be willing, determined to keep moving towards God, even in the tough parts of our journey, the parts that seem unjust, are painful and disturbing. Through the pitfalls and valleys as well as the mountain top experiences we need to surrender to the Spirit’s work in us. We need to be falling upward, as Richard Rohr would say, falling into the loving arms of God. We are not made to be satisfied with less than the indwelling Spirit of God. We will not find contentment in this life without the loving presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, transforming us one degree to another into the image of Christ. It is what we were made for.

So, when I stopped travelling did I become less adventurous, did I stop growing and learning? I pray not. Because travelling is not the only journey we take, not the only thing that can inspire or change us, not the only experience that can cause us to become more of who we were created to be. My journey continues, sometimes in unexpected ways, sometimes in what seems the ordinariness of life, which is usually not ordinary at all.

Patrick Oliver , in Drinking Deeply (1999) describes the well lived life as … “one that can celebrate and savour the ordinariness of our days, the seemingly unspectacular that is recognised as special: the aroma of fresh coffee, the plip-plop of rain on the rood, the magnificence of a moon-rise, the shimmering gossamer of a spider’s web and the sparkling diamonds of dew. Perhaps it’s the toddler’s stumbling walking efforts, the pain and pleasure of growing, the sacrifice of a life given for another, and the bright eyes of an aged person saying ‘thanks’ for the chance of life. Such a stance of humbled awe asks, “what can I celebrate?” It makes the millionaire uncomfortable and incredulous, and the pauper rich beyond measure. Life becomes a sacrament."

Every day is filled with sign posts that can lead us to adventures with God, to spaces of contemplation and reflection on the goodness and grace of God, that can be steps along the path to new life, an inner journey of transformation.