Going Home Another Way
Week 2 – The Journey
Three Magi on the Way to Bethlehem, by Hans Thoma
Bethlehem, Not Jerusalem
The Magi were on a journey to find a king. They went to Jerusalem since that was the expected place to find the King of the Jews. But the king they sought was not there. After what must have been a long, arduous journey to get to Jerusalem, they packed up and set off for Bethlehem. They seem to have accepted this shift gracefully and taken it all in stride! I don’t know if many of us would have kept our equanimity in this situation.
This is an important lesson for those of us who like to feel we’re in control of our lives. Sometimes, what we think will be the destination on our journey is merely another waypoint. That doesn’t mean we should give up and feel we’ve failed. Maybe we didn’t have enough information to know our destination accurately when we started our journey. Other times, circumstances change while we’re on our journey, and we come to realize that particular destination no longer makes sense.
For Reflection
Sometimes, our destination changes mid-journey, and it’s not of our choosing. How well do you deal with these types of changes?
Now that we’re about midway through Advent, is there some change you want to make in your planned Advent journey?
Falling Up After 50 
This reminded me of the Thomas Merton “In Solitude”(?) Lent post that you did a while back but I read daily.
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Interesting that you made that connection. I agree with you, but hadn’t realized the similarity until you pointed it out!
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