A Pilgrim in God’s Country
posted by Si, a youth group member
As many of you reading this may think, this trip is bringing up many questions for me. Questions like; "Who was Jesus?", "What is true love?", and "How can I be a better Christian?" Now, I'm not saying that I definitively know all of the answers to the questions, but music has helped me explore these questions.
If you have never heard the songs "The First Time" and "Running to Stand Still" by U2, you should really check them out. They both have helped me dive into these questions.
"I spend my whole time running, he spends his running after me." -- From The First Time
I hear this line as being about God. I may try to run and hide when things go wrong, but God wants to be in a relationship with me. That's why He sent his son to die and take our sins as His burden...so that we may live forever with God. Here, in the holy land, when I try and run from God, it's kind of hard because I am running down the streets that he actually walked. This aspect in itself I think has helped me understand Faith more.
One may say that when we stray from God we are "Running to Stand Still." We run because we don't know what to do. We are lost, scared and want support. So we run...we look for our own answers. As we run we pass by all that God has given us; friends, family, and the beauty of the world. So we keep running past these treasures just to eventually stop and admire these fantastic gifts. So to me, we run to get a new perspective on our problems and eventually grow closer to Him as we notice that He had been running hand in hand with us for our entire journey, a journey that brings new light into my faith.
So, in Jerusalem my Faith has grown due to questions and scripture.
Just remember God is always there wanting to walk (or run) with you.
A pilgrim "In God's Country,"
Si
WOW! I echo Mary Hunter’s musings - are you sure you are all only teenagers? Amazing insight, amazing photos and realizations. You are all a light to the whole congregation!