Sabbatical Journal 2: Expect Adversity on the Pilgrim Path + 6.18.19

Sabbatical Journal 2

Expect Adversity on the Pilgrim Path

Alene and I have been on pilgrimage before. Several years ago we walked about 100km of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. And we see this sabbatical time as a pilgrimage too. On pilgrimage you must expect adversity.

We began our sabbatical time with a lovely visit with family and friends in the Bay Area. It was a truly blessed time, with a dinner with family on Saturday followed by church on Sunday morning and a chance to see two of our seminary professors and visit with friends. On Sunday night we went to our daughter G's friend's house for a dinner graciously hosted by her friend's family. It was a well-lit street and we thought we had brought all of our valuables into the house with the exception of G's case which was in the trunk as she was going to stay over. Not having seen this friend in months, she ran out of the car and into the house, not realizing she left her small backpack visible on the seat and we enjoyed dinner together. Then it was time for us to leave and we sent the girls out to get G's suitcase. They came back shaken, saying the car had been broken into.
We went outside and, sure enough, the car window was shattered and all the belongings G had brought with her were taken with the exception of her sport slides, her stuffed animal and her airplane travel pillow. We called the police, who responded quickly and then we tried to figure out how to proceed. We had to call the insurance, the rental car, A's phone was dying so the family took us in and let us charge it and call while we gathered our wits. We checked in and G still wanted to stay with her friend and we made sure she had what she needed for her overnight and went back to where we were staying. Yesterday (Monday) we drove to the airport, exchanged the car and realized that we were out of pocket for G's possessions. But God provides. We realized that we had charged enough to a certain card that we could get just about the exact amount back in credit that we needed to replace her clothing. And our kind friend gifted G his old phone. Almost everything was restored, albeit in different form. Even toiletries were provided by our good friends. It was a jarring experience, but also a reminder of some truths.

When you are on the pilgrim's journey, you must be open to whatever happens, good or bad. Sometimes adversity will cross your path. It will be resolved. Sometimes with loss. But there will be gains too. We saw so much strength and courage in G in how she responded to this unexpected loss.

Adversity on the path is not a distraction from the pilgrimage but it is a part of the journey itself. We are stronger and more resilient for what we have encountered. We were reminded to better safeguard our possessions. We were reminded that we value our friendships highly. The people God puts on our path. We were reminded that even when we start to worry, God's still got us. And all will be well. We remain blessed. We continue the journey.