We've reached signposts to show us the way. From the introduction to Part II, on pages 72-73:
But what if Jesus is not a MapQuest sort of map, a superhighway to salvation? What if Jesus is more like old-fashioned street signs in a Baltimore neighborhood, navigated by imagination and intuition? Rather than a set of directions to get saved, Jesus is, as his earliest followers claimed, "the Way." Jesus is not the way we get somewhere. Jesus is the Christian journey itself, a pilgrimage that culminates in the wayfarer's arrival in God. When Jesus said "Follow me," he did not say "Follow the map." Rather, he invited people to follow him, to walk with him on a pilgrimage toward God.
How, then, do we get there? How do we follow the Jesus way?
You have to exit the highway, risk getting lost, and follow the signposts on the ground.
3 comments:
I liked the analogy of the signposts directing us on the path to renewal. I liked the description that Christianity is not reached by a map through religion, but is instead a journey traveled with the signposts pointing the way.
"Being a Christian is not a one-moment miracle of salvation. It takes practice. It is a process of faith and a continuing conversion. And it can be a long walk." Quite a reminder that the journey is continual and not one travelled quickly.
I loved the "show up" necklace. Perhaps part of my problem is my fear of venturing out and of fully being where I am.
The way I look at the signpost is when you are living on the highway to heaven the road is clear in your mind, meaning you feel good about what or where you are headed. That road may be a struggle in time and energy, but you feel good inside yourself. When you get off the road, is when you get warning signs from above. First, it is a thump on the head, next comes a hard push of reality, and last is a wake up call that feels like being knocked to the ground. What I do not understand is those people who live their lives by God will end up praying for things that never happen. Other people who live their time here on earth aggravating others destroying lives seem to be just as comfortable in their skin, I know it is not our place to question the decisions made by the heavenly father, I still wonder.
Caboose, you said, "What I do not understand is those people who live their lives by God will end up praying for things that never happen."
I guess this isn't a problem for me because I don't see prayer as a transaction where, if I'm good enough, God will do whatever I request. (Also, we parents don't do everything our children want us to do, right?) I see prayer more as a meditation where I pay attention to what's going on around me, trying to discern the proper way for me to act, rather than telling God what to do for me.
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