Behind the Title

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,

til each appears before God in Zion.

Psalm 84:5-7

This is one of those psalms that just makes my heart sing.

I love travelling and exploring, itch for adventure. I was the little kid always buried in a book, travelling round the world and across history, oblivious to everything around me but the adventure I had been sucked up into. I always hated finishing a book--that jolt back to reality, like waking up from a nap, feeling crabby and disoriented. It was that same part of me that always wanted to break my legs so I could ride a wheelchair, wanted a tornado to go down our street, thought it would be kindof exciting to get lost.

I love that life with God is a pilgrimage, an adventure, a journey that's really headed somewhere. And I love how that journey's described here: traveling from strength to strength. Sometimes, I look ahead, and all I can see are the obstacles, the valleys. I feel like I'm just travelling from one to another, with brief rests in between. But maybe the valleys are the interludes, each one lovingly placed into my life to bring me face-to-face with my weakness so I can press deeper and deeper into His strength.

In verse 6, "Baca" means "weeping." It also carries the meaning of a dry, arid desert land, void of water. Sometimes, my pilgrimage leads me through this Valleys of Weeping, parched, desolate lands that leave me clawing in the burning sand, desperate for water to soothe my aching heart. But this isn't my destination. Praise God, I'm only passing through.

And God can transform those places. He has for me, time and time again. Pouring out His life-giving rain into my dry, broken places, bringing me back to life again. He even promises to use me to "make it a place of springs." Crazy. And beautiful--only God could do something like that.

I think that's one of my favorite parts about this world. I love seeing the things that are already beautiful, but I really love seeing how God creates beauty out of ashes. It's so powerful, so hopeful. "I want the world to always see your perfect majesty, reflected from my life--this broken poetry..."

And I know what my destination is: appearing before God in Zion. Washed in His blood, clothed in the imperishable, perfectly satisfied and rejoicing in His presence.

All Creation groans and waits...and so do I.

But until then, I'm going to walk this road He's set me on. As one of the characters from a favorite childhood book always said, "Life with God is not a tea party, my dear. It's a wild adventure."