Road Trip

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage" Psalm 84:5.

I've never heard of anyone going on a pilgrimage. For Old and New Testament Jews accustomed to mandatory participation in certain Temple services annually, this was a familiar life event. Muslims traveling to Mecca are the closest contemporary example of pilgrims on a sacred journey that I can think of.

A pilgrimage is an adventure. Other than knowing one will travel from Point A to Point B, all that transpires in between these two is a mystery. The unknown enhances the overall experience. The final destination keeps the travelers filled with anticipation. The expense, trials and difficulties are immaterial when compared to arriving at one's heart's desire. Doing whatever it takes to reach the goal is well worth it.

Perhaps our walk with God would be more satisfying if we approached it with the pilgrim's sense of awe and wonder. To do this we may first have to reassess our concept of Who God is.

In the book, How God Changes Your Brain, authors Dr. Andrew Newberg and Mr. Mark Robert Waldman cite a Baylor University study done in conjunction with the Gallup organization. The sample interviewed included: Evangelicals, mainline and black Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, adherents to all types of beliefs and those with no religious/church affiliation at all. The research revealed that Americans tend to classify God's personality as one of these four: authoritarian, critical, distant and benevolent.

Only twenty-three percent view God as "gentle, forgiving and less likely to respond with wrath" (pg. 110 kindle version). Furthermore this group viewed God as being personally involved in their lives, listening and responding to prayers and deeply concerned about those who suffer.

With statistics like this is there any surprise that some Christians find Christianity (the religion) pure drudgery? After all, who gets excited about a road trip to visit a cranky, mean old relative? A root canal's more preferable. It would be encouraging if Christians comprised that twenty-three percent who viewed God favorably - but that's not the case.

Why not?

Is it any wonder why people stay away in droves from the angry, retributive God fostered by much of the church today? Yet, when exposed to Jesus, they're captivated by Him because, by His own admission, He is the living example of God the Father. In His day Jesus was a radical departure from what His contemporaries were being forced-fed in their religious traditions. Christ turned no one away, good or bad. He never condoned wrong behavior because what we do and how we live matters. However, He never made a person's present life condition a barrier that prevented fellowship.

It's time to take a serious look at God through the lens of Jesus. Doing so can cause a major upheaval of our assumptions concerning the nature of God and His method of dealing with mankind. This can also transform our quest to know God into an exciting, festive pilgrimage as opposed to a torturous, frustrating journey.

How about you? How would you honestly evaluate your relationship with God? Is it what motivates you to get up each morning, curious to discover what the day will bring? Or, does it make you want to pull the covers up over your head because you're too tired and disappointed to go any further? Are you part of the twenty-three percent minority who look at God in a favorable light or the majority who do not?

Life will always present unexpected challenges. Whether we believe in God or not is important. What we believe He is like matters a great deal. If you're part of the majority who harbor a negative opinion of God, here's a suggestion. Get a new roadmap, one that will guide you on a journey to discover the Jesus-kind of Father God. Pack you bags and get ready for the road trip of a lifetime.