Life Lessons From The Camino De SantiagoSample

The Path Within a Path

When my wife and I walked the Camino de Santiago, we started in Saint Jean Pied de Port in the French Pyrenees and walked almost 500 miles across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. We usually walked 15 to 20 miles each day. The paths of the Camino range from shaded woodland trails to cobblestoned city streets. In the course of a day’s hike, it was common to go from a pleasant trek on packed dirt to a difficult clamber down a shale-lined gully in the rain.

While some sections of the Camino are narrow and offer little choice for our route, most let us choose a “path within the path.” For example, a dirt road with rutted tire tracks often had a smoother footpath beaten out by previous pilgrims. Or a muddy section would have a dry route on slightly higher ground to either side.

Sometimes a tempting shortcut led to real complications. One time a friend cut across what looked like a dry farm field—and soaked his boots and socks in standing water hidden by the crops. He shaved off a few hundred meters but paid for it the rest of the day by walking in wet socks and boots.

In the end, the narrower path within a path is smoother and leads to less complications. We each have many choices as we chart our own routes through life. The options we have in front of us make our paths very wide. But within those possibilities is that path that follows the teachings of Christ. It includes honesty in both business and personal relationships, fidelity to your spouse, and loving your neighbor.

Dishonesty destroys promising careers and valued relationships. Affairs tear apart marriages and families. Repaying anger with more anger instead of love escalates situations that could be easily resolved.

If you spend a few minutes, you can probably think of many examples of public figures, friends, or relatives who have chosen their own path and fallen from grace. If you’re honest with yourself, you can probably think of personal examples where you’ve paid the price of ignoring the path within the path.

Questions to Consider:

• Where in my personal life am I following my own path and not the path of Christ?
• Are there situations where I should go back and rectify failures caused by not following the path of Christ?