I Choose

Being Sunday, I thought a small devotional would be appropriate.  This is one of my favorites from Max Lucado.  It is called I Choose and modified slightly for the Camino.


 It’s as quiet as it gets in the albergue.  It’s early.  For the next 12 hours I’ll be exposed to the demands of walking The Way.  It’s now that I must make a choice.  And so, I choose…

I choose love.  I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy.

I choose peace.  I will live forgiven.

I choose patience.  Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I’ll thank God for a moment to pray.

I choose kindness, for that’s how God has treated me.

I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness.  Today I’ll keep my promises. My wife will not question my love.

I choose gentleness.  If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control.  I will be impassioned only by my faith and influenced only by God.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When this day is done, I’ll place my head on my pillow and rest.


Today was a good day of walking.  I think it is becoming clear to my body that this is now what we do.  Wake, walk, sleep, repeat.  I have passed the one third mark, both in distance and days.   I have now walked about 180 miles on the Camino de Santiago. 

Last night was a blast!  We all cooked dinner and ate together at one long table and then retreated to the upper room for a time of reflection.  We read prayers from past pilgrims and scripture verses.  Then we all did the dishes and got set up for breakfast.  Bedtime was at 11:00pm and nobody was allowed to leave before 6:00am.  Our host was a master at Camino hospitality!  What a wonderful “real pilgrim” experience.  

As a side note, if walking isn’t your thing, it seems that you can also experience the Camino via a bus.  This group came in and had a pilgrim lunch at the bar across the street.  Then it was back on the bus to experience more of the Camino view and off to their hotel.  The Camino offers something for everyone. 


Surprise of the day:  goats on a wall…

 32,561 steps

  16.23 miles

Location:  Atapuerca @ 42.376275, -3.506747



Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 28, 2023 at 2:10 PM

    Enjoy Burgos. Al

    ReplyDelete
  2. CindyMay 28, 2023 at 4:19 PM

    Thank you for sharing I Choose. (No doubt here!)
    Also, your goats on the wall remind me of the flock of sheep that enveloped us and our car in France 15 years ago - so fun!

    ReplyDelete

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