Special events mark important times in our lives. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, births of children are all examples of milestones in one’s life.
The word “milestones” came about in the Roman period, during the 3rd century, when they built roads and marked every 1000 paces with a stone. It signified a journey’s progress achieved, a current specific place, and a new starting point for continuing forward.
“Outer journeys” in life include education, occupation, developing skills, growing a family and buying a home. These aspects of life usually occupy most of our attention.
But there is another journey, one that is actually more important, but one that often only gets leftover scraps of time – it is the “Inner Journey.”
The Inner Journey is our spiritual pilgrimage – and we are all on a spiritual path – we are either going somewhere spiritually or we are sitting still, spiritually stagnant.
Today, this very moment, can be marked as a new milestone in our life, one where from this day forward, we actively and intentionally focus on our spiritual journey. Like the Israelites being led out of slavery to their promised freedom, we too can consciously attend to our pilgrimage from slavery to sin, to complete freedom in Christ.
This movement towards complete freedom in Christ is so much more than choosing not to sin today. It is more than controlling outward actions. It is the development of a deepening love for God, self and others. It is more than “doing” (or “not doing”). It is “being in the heart’s movement of love, a spiritual embrace” with our Heavenly God. Here, we are transformed by Love, pierced by His Holiness and enveloped by our Father who loves us as His own precious child.
When we become aware of His loving touch on us, our hard heart, our brittle selfish convictions, our burning sinful desires soften and begin to fall away. We begin to yearn for “not my way, but Yours, O God.” We pray, “O Lord, more of You in my heart, please, and less of me and the world that surrounds.”
This journey is profound. It awakens the person that God knit together in their mother’s womb. God is drawing out that person, you, to become the person He designed you to be, a person that walks hand in hand with Him, a person whose heart reciprocates His love and freely shares it with others.
We can begin or reestablish today’s milestone, firmly setting down and signifying something new. We can step out today and each day here-after with expectant, excited anticipation, knowing that as we continue forward on this spiritual journey, we will grow to know our God in a more transformational way, deepening our relationship with Him and better recognizing His presence in our lives.
A key help in this process is to toss out the idea of having “devotional time” and “Sunday church,” replacing them with intentionally living a “devotional life” all week long.
Lord, help us on our spiritual journey to fully become the person you intended us to be, and may our relationship with You grow ever deeper. May Your love prevail. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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