A pilgrimage trail in Northern Spain attracts thousands of walkers each year. Their destination is the Santiago de Compostella where, according to tradition, the bones of St. James the Apostle are buried. For the next four weeks, Pastor Mia shares some of her experiences and lessons learned as she and two companions walked the last 73 miles of the Camino de Santiago.

Pilgrimage to sacred destinations has long been a religious practice. Pilgrimage is holy, physical, and spiritual. Reaching the destination at the end of a pilgrimage is exhilarating, but that’s not the point. It’s the journey that matters. Spiritual maturity grows not from rushing to the destination, but from faithfully walking step by step on the journey. After all, faith is lived out in action.

For Pastor Mia, walking the Camino was a concrete way to reflect on her spiritual journey. At first, she questioned whether she could physically walk ten miles a day, carrying a backpack and pushing past physical exhaustion. In many ways, she says she felt the same way when she took her baptismal vows nearly 30 years ago.

When day one of walking the Camino arrived, Pastor Mia realized she could meet the challenge and she learned the first of many lessons that apply to the spiritual journey. When you think it’ll be too difficult or faith asks too much, instead of expecting failure, expect that you can.