Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Abby Dorman
CE 341
CPO 612
May 2, 2016
I Am a Pilgrim
time, they were working in full-time ministry for Athletes in Action. The
way they raised me and the example they showed me in their daily
Sunday school every weekend, and we often prayed and read Bible
When I was about three years old, I prayed with my parents for
have a relationship with God and that His Word was for me. I started to
read the Bible in order to try to understand it, and my middle school
him a lot for wisdom and guidance, but he left the church suddenly
when I was in seventh grade. The new youth pastor came in and
them. Rather than being built up and included by the body of believers,
I felt like an outsider in the place that had previously been full of life
didnt feel comfortable there again until my tenth grade year. At that
the high school youth pastor had trouble with consistency and
cynical about youth group in general. By the time I was a senior in high
school, I was ready to move on and didnt want to keep putting in effort
to any relationships I had built there. Even though I had attended the
same church my entire life, I felt freedom rather than regret when I
prioritizing Christ over all else and glorifying God through athletics.
the court. For the first time ever as a basketball player, I found myself
sitting on the bench most of the time instead of playing on the court.
Gods eyes.
with Christs love. When I was an underclassman, older girls took the
time to ask me how I was doing and to walk alongside me during hard
younger girls in the program. I have seen how people from all different
but Ive also experienced times of spiritual dryness. Ive gone through
seasons when my devotional time felt like a chore and I could barely
to describe the journey of the Christian life. The narrator of the story
has a dream that makes up the first half of Bunyans book. In this
none of his friends or family members are willing to come with him.
One fellow townsman, Pliable, comes but quickly turns back at the first
obstacle they face. Christian carries a heavy burden on his back that
drags him into the Slough of Despond, but a man named Help rescues
on his journey, but tells him that he can overcome them if he keeps his
faith. At this point, Christian is still carrying his burden on his back.
cross, his burden falls away. Three characters known as Shining Ones
give Christian a certificate that will admit him to his end destination,
Christians next stop is called the Palace Beautiful, a rest stop for
will need for his journey. Christian then meets a monster named
Apollyon who claims to be his master, but Christian defeats him with
his new weapons. After passing safely through the Valley of the
encourage each other along the journey, but end up in a city called
Vanity. The city is full of sin, and Faithful and Christian are heavily
Hopeful. They hear of a shortcut to the Celestial City, but are tricked
and end up in Doubting Castle. The Giant Despair tries to keep them
eventually escape by using the key of Promise to get out of the castle.
6
Now, the Celestial City is almost in sight. They enter the Delectable
Mountains and are warned not to fall asleep or wander into the hills of
Caution and Error, where many other pilgrims had been led astray.
Ignorance, and Atheist, who are all looking for something wrong in their
journeys. None of these pilgrims can stay on the correct path to the
Celestial City. Right before the city, Hopeful and Christian have to cross
reminds him of the name of Jesus and Christian finds the strength to
pull himself out. At the gates of the city, Hopeful and Christian are
welcomed by the Shining Ones because they kept Gods truth, and
meaning and should be examined to find out how it applies to our own
was never completely alone or without hope. Even in the times when
Christian life isnt just one slow and steady climb upward and onward.
follow a different path will never lead to the end destination of eternal
our journeys.
that the world offers me and my own pride in thinking that I can do it
whatever I can to be liked by the people around me. Too often, I give
approval to things that I know are wrong just so that Im not perceived
Despond, I try to get through on my own strength and then realize that
push forward on our own but never leaves us without hope when we
time and time again. Bunyan also gave a powerful illustration of how
our burdens fall away at the foot of the cross. No matter what Christian
did, he could never be rid of his burdens until he saw the cross. I think
them, but he bypassed them because he kept his eyes fixed on his
journey with, because he realized that some were not heading the right
because he held fast to the truth of God under trial. Christian was also
willing to learn from those who had more wisdom than him. The
Interpreter, the Evangelist, and even his fellow pilgrims Faithful and
9
Hopeful, all helped him in his journey by reminding and teaching him of
of the other pilgrims that are traveling around me. Just as I need those
with more wisdom and experience to pour into me, I have the privilege
of sharing my experience with those who are not as far along. I would
caution them against some of the mistakes Ive made and obstacles
Ive encountered, but I think one of the most important things Ive
should expect to always make the right decisions or always feel like
believer was aware of that and also tell them that it often isnt due to
any fault of their own. Spiritual dryness can be linked to sin, but
in times when they feel far from God, He is still the same. Gods
journey. For me, the community Ive found in friends and teammates in
All believers should be involved in some way in a church, but also have
10
a mentor or friend that they can share their struggles with. While only
Jesus can ultimately ease our burdens, fellow pilgrims can walk with us
through both the good and bad times and remind us of truth, just as
rewarding one. Its good for any pilgrim to know that the road will have
many turns and obstacles, but none are too great to overcome with
the truth so that when they reach the end, they will be found faithful.