Face Value

It's hard for me to believe that it's already been four months since I returned from my Holy Land Spiritual Renewal Pilgrimage. The program was structured so that there would be one retreat before the trip to Israel and one after. At the "getting to know you" retreat, the hot questions were these: "What are your expectations as you embark on this pilgrimage? What do you hope to experience?" I hadn't mapped it all out in detail like some of my fellow pilgrims had. I merely wanted to walk the paths that Jesus walked and pray in the places where Jesus had prayed, hoping to experience him daily as I listened for that prophetic word.

I'll admit that I was disappointed. Instead of having a powerful spiritual experience, I felt overwhelmed by the historical information that our brilliant guides imparted to us. I stood in awe of the crowds of people that were gathered in those sacred places, not to mention having the desire to capture each image with my camera. I wondered what was wrong with me when I heard my brothers and sisters in Christ talk about how they'd experienced Jesus; how they'd heard that prophetic word. It made me wonder: what was wrong with me that I couldn't look a little deeper? That I could only take it all at face value?

A month ago, I attended the final retreat that was a part of my Holy Land Spiritual Renewal Pilgrimage. It was great to be reunited with my friends, and I was delighted to have the chance to talk with my fellow pilgrims about how our experiences have impacted our ministries. Yes, I was overwhelmed by a lot of the things that I learned while I was away, but in the past few months, I've had a chance to put it all into perspective, looking a little deeper instead of taking it all at face value. I have realized that I did experience Jesus' presence daily, hearing that prophetic word as I walked the paths that Jesus walked and prayed in the places where Jesus prayed.

And so I invite you to look a little deeper inside yourselves on your faith journeys. Don't take things at face value; open your hearts to experience Jesus' presence daily. Open your ears to hear that prophetic word despite the distractions of life. But most of all, don't take God's love at face value. Look a little deeper, because there's so much more than we can possibly imagine. For indeed, there's love enough for all.