When you have an itch, what do you do?
You scratch it!
And when you scratch that itch, things tend to break out.
It sometimes gets uncomfortable and irritated, but eventually new is birthed.
In actively seeking the presence of God, as shared in a previous blog, we adopt the irresistible graces and character of the Creator himself. He gives it freely when we seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 6:33, Mathew 7:7-8, etc), and atmospheres change when we walk in His presence as empowered and loved sons and daughters.
We are made whole in this pursuit of God and as we are clothed in the aroma of His heart, others are gracefully drawn into the journey with us.
It's like bugs to light – love never fails.
So, what happens when Peregrinos cross paths day after day with presence-seeking Christians?
In our pursuit of His heart on the Camino de Santiago, we quickly found out…
I decided to expose my depths to the Father for at least an hour a day while on the Camino and there was a noticeable difference of outpour and awareness of God's desires along the trail.
Not only in continual pursuit of God's fullness (not yet mastered) am I more aware of the spiritual atmosphere around me, I also become more like Jesus – his character, living out grace & truth, as well as being made whole in His love, giving it away freely, setting captives free and proclaiming the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18-19).
That is what my heart desires to put on.
But how do these things manifest when interacting with others?
Meet Arthur (all tan).
Arthur is from Poland – a man pursuing spirituality and growth in all walks of life as well as religions. Arthur is an amazing man of character and honor who has studied and lived among many religious people groups across the globe. We met Arthur in Santo Domingo, Spain at a monastery. He was intrigued and bravely decided to set in on our nightly discussion/bible study. From there on out Arthur was our hiking pal. Eventually Arthur saw it all, but stuck with us – he was sucked in. Arthur quickly became one of the crew and when it was time for a gathering of any sorts, he was included – there were now eight of us. One morning in Burgos, Spain, when we began to prepare our day in prayer, Arthur humbly told us of his foot and the intense pain it had been in for quite some time. We asked to pray over him and he gave consent. In the midst of the morning crowd, about four of us laid hands on him and got after it (no, no one shouted or hit the floor). Immediately, Arthur began to proclaim that this Jesus we believe in must be for real and powerful because his foot was healed – no more pain! In shock, he went about his day and at the end of it, he was stunned that his foot was still painless and healed. To say the least, Arthur stayed with us for a few more days probing us with deep questions on Jesus and Christianity before deciding to speed up his pace and head on down the trail in pursuit of truth.
Meet David (black vest).
David is originally from Panama – a man of great integrity that pursues wholeheartedly after God's own heart. David is also one of our coaches for Kingdom Journeys. After day one of hiking with David, he came to me and started telling me of the back trouble he had been having for a while. (It's interesting that people tell me their physical ailments often, even those that don't know me. *Here's to opportunity!) Right then and there we stopped throwing the frisbee, laid hands on him and there you have it – yep. The next day, David made sure that I knew his back felt amazing and gave him no trouble throughout the 16 mile hike of the day and continued to feel incredible. Healed. And these previous problems gave him no more trouble throughout our time with him.
The presence of God is not simply manifest in greater awareness of the spiritual atmosphere, adoption of the Father's heart, and physical healing though is it?
Not at all.
Stick around for more outbreaks on the Camino…
