Journeying to Grace

Last week I heard another swimmer encourage the person in the lane next to her: “As long as we keep moving, we’re doing okay.” She’s right. I’ve had plenty of exercise sessions that fit under the ‘something is better than nothing’ category, especially when I didn’t really feel up to it or didn’t feel very motivated to do too much. But I give myself a little credit for moving a little bit, and I typically feel better after. Especially for exercising, any kind of motion is better than no activity at all. Movement and effort, even in small amounts, push us in the right direction. The same can maybe be said about our faith life.

We often refer to our spiritual lives as our being on a ‘journey of faith.’ I do like the image of a journey, of the new discoveries it offers, and of being led to something more. But if we are on a ‘journey,’ that implies we’re moving and allowing ourselves to be ‘pushed’ in the right direction. If we are on a ‘journey,’ we are not standing still, we’re not hopelessly waiting, we’re not just lingering. On this ‘journey of faith,’ we step forward on our path in trust because we ourselves cannot see too far ahead. And like any other long journey forward, there are moments we hesitate, we stumble, and we fall. There are moments that feel sure and moments of uncertainty. This journey allows us to question, it encourages us to listen, and it especially deepens our relationship with God. It also requires us to keep moving, to keep seeking, and to keep believing in His will for us even when there doesn’t seem (to us) to be anything happening.

There might be times when we don’t feel like we’re ‘moving’ very well or making progress on this journey. But when we share our journey and our life in Christ even in quiet ways, when we witness the strong faith of another, when we experience moments of wonder either large or small, that is evidence of movement in the right direction. We may not always feel up to it, and there may be some instances that we can only move forward slowly or a little bit at a time, but as long as we keep moving – toward God, toward hope, toward goodness – we’re doing okay.

“Always remember this: Life is a journey. It is a path, a journey to meet Jesus.” – Pope Francis