Serving OthersIhe Atụ

Small gesture; huge impact

I’ve recently returned from walking the Camino from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (France) to Santiago de Compostela (Spain) over 800 km in 40 days. For my husband and I, it was a spiritual pilgrimage and a physical challenge. The changing landscapes were captivating and the conversations we had with people from all over the world were meaningful. We are people who enjoy serving others and don’t often seek to be served; however, on the Camino, it was special to allow ourselves to be refreshed by others. When you’re traveling light with a backpack, you can find yourself in need of some basic things. Some days we shared our supplies with other walkers and other days people shared with us. The joy of being mutually refreshed as fellow pilgrims added to the shared experience of the journey. I had times of feeling vulnerable with the physical effort of a long stretch uphill or the mental effort it took to choose every step carefully on a steep rocky descent. The appreciation I felt when we turned a corner to discover a pilgrim oasis on a particularly hot day almost brought tears to my eyes. Volunteers had set up chairs and tables under trees. Everyone was welcome to sit and they had a van with fruit, snacks and fresh orange juice asking only for a donation or minimal charge. I was moved to learn that the volunteers had walked the Camino themselves and wanted to come back to serve refreshments for others on the way. Their faith in God had motivated them with the simple understanding that giving to others is refreshing for the spirit.

I pondered a question as I walked, and I wonder if you might think about it too. The Camino is about walking to reflect on life and to allow God to transform us to be more like Christ by the experiences on the way. How can we make our churches more like this?

Written by KATH HENRY