“Faith is not merely a journey for the feet, but it is a journey for the heart.” A.W. Tozer

Faith, like life, is often compared to a journey. We talk about being on a Lenten journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter.

Journeys take us somewhere. Often what we encounter on our journey has the power to change us. (John Bunyan’s classic “Pilgrims Progress” comes to mind.)

As faithful readers know, Virginia likes to travel. Usually trips are carefully planned out: fun places to see, fun places to stay, and fun to be enjoyed with as much beauty as possible packed in along the way.

Virginia is a tree groupie after all!

But life and faith journeys (as much as we try to carefully plan things out) don’t often turn out the way we planned. There are detours, rocky paths to navigate, falls to recover from, and scary stuff we encounter along the way.

It’s not about fun optimization but endurance.

That’s where our hearts come in. As we open our hearts to faith, we discover we are not alone – God is with us and in us – always, always, always.

“O Christ Jesus when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love and Your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things.”  Saint Ignatius of Loyola

grace, peace & heart journeys

Virginia : )

Photos: Banff National Park, CANADA  (#1, #3-5 taken on a dreary day hike around Moraine Lake – and the sun came out at the end of the hike!)