Life Lessons From The Camino De Santiagoنموونە

Give It Your Best

After Laurie and I had decided to walk the Camino, we spent a lot of time preparing physically and testing equipment. We did a lot of hiking with our backpacks over distances and on terrain similar to what we’d face in Spain. We field-tested gear in various weather conditions. Laurie went through multiple sets of footwear before she found the right combination of supports and boots to prevent blisters. We also learned after one rainy day that ponchos wouldn’t offer us the protection we’d get from a good rain jacket and pants.

Giving it our best in preparation helped us enjoy the actual experience. We were sore nearly every day but weren’t in real pain. And even through a month into it I developed tendinitis and both of us got blisters, we were in good enough shape to recover.

Some of our fellow pilgrims didn’t give it their best in preparation. They arrived full of hope but without really training their bodies or testing equipment. We walked with one young German whose feet were so swollen that he had to remove his boots. We were able to see his trail in one section because of the bare footprints he left in the mud.

Some of these pilgrims managed to complete their pilgrimage, but it was often at the expense of extreme pain or having to skip sections of the trail by taking a bus ahead. Some of them had to abandon their quest—hopefully to return in some future year.

Several miracles show how Jesus set an example for us of doing His best. One case was at Cana when he turned water into wine. The master of the banquet tasted the water turned into wine and declared to the bridegroom, “…you have saved the best until now.” Another is when Christ took five small barley loaves and two small fish and multiplied it so that it fed five thousand men—plus the women and children in attendance. The leftovers filled twelve baskets. He could have just done the minimum, but went beyond.

I know that when I follow the example of Christ and give it my best, I am better off.

Questions to Consider:

• Where have you not been giving it your best—at home, at work, and in your faith?
• Think about a time where you did give it your best and it paid off.