This week, Pastor Mia shares the final lessons learned during a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. In pilgrimage, the journey is the point and the destination matters. The Gospel of James teaches us this wisdom, telling us to stand firm and be patient as we wait for the coming of the Lord.

There is a correlation between backpacking on a physical trail and the spiritual journey. After walking mile after mile on a trail, exhaustion sets in. Spiritual life is like that too. We want it to be thrilling. We want to put forth our best selves in faith. However, when there is no excitement and we’ve grown tired, spiritual life becomes a matter of simply showing up. In other words, stay on the trail and keep on walking.

As you near the end of the journey, you may finally realize your pack is too heavy. Instead of leaving behind the things you didn’t need, you kept them. Spiritual life is similar. We each have spiritual baggage we continue to carry, until we take the time to examine it and get rid of what we don’t need.

On a journey, the exhaustion is real. Stand firm. Stay on the trail and keep on walking. And long the way, be filled with joy as you reach the end of one journey and begin another.

Every year thousands of pilgrims travel the Camino de Santiago, a route in Spain that leads to the burial site of St. James. This week, Pastor Mia explains how walking a path such as the Camino is a reflection of the spiritual journey. By making a physical journey we learn that our way is made by others.

The Camino de Santiago was built by others. Some people dedicated their lives to developing the route. Others posted signs marking the route for pilgrims. Others laid pavers to show which way to walk when there was a fork in the road. And others built stone bridges for crossing streams and rivers.

Like those others who made the way for pilgrims to travel the Camino, others made the way for our spiritual life. Today we have Scriptures, because our our ancestors in faith wrote about their experiences with God. Traditions, including Sunday worship and communion, were also handed down by our spiritual ancestors. And the prophets set the example of being faithful even under pressure.

There are others who make our way in faith. Who made the way for you? And how are you making the way of faith for those who follow?

Pilgrimage — both the physical journey of walking the Camino de Santiago and the spiritual journey each of us takes toward God — is different for each of us. Our backgrounds, burdens, and hopes shape the way we travel. Some of us come with strength, others with wounds or worries, and still others with questions about belonging or purpose. Yet, what unites us is not sameness of thought or experience, but hearts bound together in Christ.

Pastor Mia shows how wisdom is essential for the journey. Wisdom is not just knowledge, but faithful discernment — knowing when to push forward, when to rest, and how to support one another. The letter of James reminds us that when we lack wisdom, we can simply ask God, who delights in giving it. Sometimes wisdom is practical, like knowing when to take a break or accept help. Other times, it’s deeper: learning to lay down the baggage we carry, or to show gentleness and compassion to fellow travelers whose journeys look different from our own.