"How was the trip?"

One is tempted to reply, "Great! Fantastic! Perfect!", as we try to capture the excitement of it all.

The truth, of course, is always something less than that.

Remembering a spectacular vista, we tend to forget those eight straight days of rain. Recalling that afternoon spent chatting with a memorable character, learning more about his country than all the guide books could ever share, the outrageous cost of groceries and gasoline become significantly less important.

No journey, no matter how carefully planned and carried out, will come off without a hitch. There are surprises along the way, connections that are missed, delays encountered, disappointing weather...these are the composites of the journey.

We are tempted to romanticize our spiritual journey as well. We speak in wondrous exclamations and tell of spectacular experiences, afraid that if others knew the truth, our faith would somehow seem tarnished. Indeed, there is a branch of Christianity that spends considerable time and energy trying to top one another’s miraculous moments. The proof of their faith is found in encounters with God that leave them all breathless, eyes bulging out over one more spectacular sign from the Lord.

Those of us who have stumbled along the path, missing the occasional boat, encountering the sporadic gloom of divine drizzle, are left wondering where we went wrong.

How come our experiences contain more of the mundane and less of the miraculous?

Such a question can lead us into a crisis of faith, wondering why we are on the journey at all.

The time has surely come for the church to confess that joining her ranks will not solve all our problems, send us into religious ecstasy or make our shirts whiter than white.

One of the most poignant and terribly sad moments for me comes as I listen to good folk who are so desperate for easy answers. Their lives have fallen in a depressing spiral and they are looking for something to solve it all and solve it right now. My heart goes out to them but I feel I must warn them that this journey is not, despite what they may hear from some, a panacea for their pain and problems.

Just because we decide to follow Jesus does not mean that all our difficulties will evaporate. Indeed, often even more of them arise. We in the church should not be trying to lure others in through our doors with promises that cannot be fulfilled. Taking this journey will not necessarily make us happy or healthy or wealthy or whatever.

We need to show all the pictures from the trip and not just the ones that we have blown-up and framed for all the world to see.

Let’s be honest and show the ones we keep only for ourselves. The pictures of doubt and struggle, quiet reflection, sober callings.