Trail Magic: Encouragement for the Road to Calvary
Photo image courtesy Curated Lifestyle for Unsplash
When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed. -- Acts 21:5
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien might refer to it as waybread, that magical bread made by Elves meant to sustain travelers on their journey. Hikers on the Appalachian Trail might call it trail magic, unexpected acts of kindness left by those referred to as trail angels to sustain or encourage long-distance hikers.
Followers of Jesus Christ, on the other hand, offer a better sort of bread and a more eternal form of trail magic.
“But writers on the Calvary Road facing their own cross take a moment before Golgotha to jot down words and leave them on the trail that they might light the way for others.” -Andrew Roycroft
When I heard these words spoken at a writing conference, I knew there was something deeper and more urgently important about my writing than just to entertain. Though we’re all creatives made in the image of the Creator, writing is the form of creativity that God has called me to. Thus, these words danced through my soul, dispelling doubts while bringing clarity to the weightiness and importance of my calling. They made me say “this is why I write.”
But more than that, it’s how I want to live.
This message is true for every believer, whether they “jot down words,” speak them out loud, or live them out through their actions in the vein of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10).
No matter where we are in our own journey, we've gained experience or acquired knowledge that can light the way for others.
There will always be someone behind us on the Road to Calvary. Someone who needs the words of encouragement we can provide.
“Ask not that the road might rise to meet you but that we might rise with you to meet the road.” ~Andrew Roycroft
In Mark 12:30-3, we are told that the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord our God.” The next greatest is to “love our neighbor as ourselves.”
Encouragement is the flower that blooms from the root of love when we choose to love our neighbors as ourselves.
There is no more loving way to encourage our neighbors than to leave the trail magic of truth and the waybread of eternal life for their journey.
We all need encouragement at times. This need isn’t a sign of weakness, but of awareness. It is understanding that we are all on a journey that is often filled with danger, darkness, and suffering. But it is also knowing that our destination is eternal glory.
And sometimes we need a little encouragement to keep going.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Is there an area in your life where you need encouragement right now? What form might that encouragement take?
2. Who are the people who have left trail magic to help you when you needed it the most?
3. In what way, did this encourage you to keep going?
4. Who are the people around you that might need encouragement today?
5. What are some ways you can meet that need?
