As I start to pack my bag for the last phase of this journey…
this question pops up again…
Is the weight worth the cost?
(If you’ve been following along with my blogs, you’ll remember at the end of month 2 this question came up while preparing to go from Ecuador to Peru by bus… for you see their was a pack limit of 40lbs, if it was over you had to pay extra money! And yes my bag was over, and I had to pay, but in all honesty a lot of people had to pay! At that time the cost was mainly monetary and alittle bit physical!)
Now this question arises again…
But this time it’s a little bit different…
You see this time it’s in regards to walking the Camino de Santiago! This time we will be carrying our packs daily for multiple miles!
Sometimes up into the upper teens!
(Before I get carried away, The Camino de Santiago (the way of Saint James), is a spiritual pilgrimage route! There are many different routes throughout Spain, and in other European countries, that end up at the Cathedral Santiago de Compostela, in northwest Spain. This cathedral is rumored to have the remains of Saint James buried there.
Depending on where you start & which route the mileages very…
French route from the beginning 780 km or 500 miles, the northern route is 830 km or 515 miles, plus there are many different routes!
These are the two routes that we had to choose from with our teams; the French route & the Northern Route! The French route is mainly flat, it walks through a lot of old towns, and right now is pretty hot! The Northern route varies in elevations with hills, mountains, valleys, beaches, etc., it is cooler from being on the coast and has fewer people that do this route.
So my team prayed about it and we felt called to do the Northern route! Which means a more physically demanding route, but with lots of views of the coastline! )
Ok back to the big question!
Is the weight worth the cost?
Let’s break this down, we are walking daily 8-15 miles a day with our packs. We eat, sleep, & then repeat!
So the question!
Is the weight worth the cost?
WEIGHT can be defined in 3 ways:
Physical– clothes, toiletries, Bible, towel, notebook, etc.
Emotional/Mental– the repetitive aspect- challenges us?!?
Spiritual– talking with God, asking the tough stuff, reviewing the year & reflecting on what we have learned!
These are all very important things in 3 different ways!
So what is the COST of these weights?
Physical– too heavy, more weight than the body can take = pain, soreness, injury
Emotional/ mental– Is it worth the challenge?
Spiritual– Am I open to walking through the hard stuff?
Is the weight worth the cost?
What will the result be?!?
Well that depends on how much I’m able to carry, walk with, and hand over to the Lord!
Update:
When I started the Camino on day 1 (July 25th), my pack weighed a hefty 28 pounds! I got the opportunity to weight it today on day 12 (August 5) of the Camino it weighs around 22 lbs! Everyday I evaluate my pack/life by saying what is it I’m carrying & I ask myself is the weight worth the cost on my body, mind, spirit, & soul! For me part of the journey is letting go of things, releasing them to the Lord and not carrying that weigh/burden anymore!
