As part of my journey I picked up Thomas A Kempis' The Imitation of Christ. In it I found this quote:
"Follow me. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Without the Way, you will go in the wrong direction. Without the Truth, you lack a foundation to discern reality. Without the Life, there is no hope. I am the Way you should follow, the Truth you should believe, the Life that is worth living. I am the Way inviolable, the Truth infallible, the Life everlasting. I am the Way that is safe, the Truth that is unerring, the Life that is authentic and joyful. Follow me and you will know the truth. It will free you from human expectations and prepare you for eternal life. To know truth, believe my words. To be my disciple, forget your ambitions. To be unencumbered, be willing to part with possessions. To live joyfully, reject worldly values. To be exalted in heaven, be humble here on earth. To reign with me, carry the cross with me. Those who are willing to do this will know peace and freedom" [Chapter 3].
I love this quote. Too many people are looking for the way without any reference point. Thirty years ago I was on a backpack with some high schoolers. We were crossing this large boulder field. We knew the general direction, but there was no "path" to follow. Except, every few yards (and I think too few) there was a small pile of rocks stacked by the Boy Scouts. It was this line of piles that guided us across the field. Moving from one pile to the next was not always easy. They were not always readily seeable. We had to look behind and line up several we had passed. We had to spred out a bit to find the next. And we had to ask, "Is this really the next pile?" Nature too makes small piles. It was only this that got us to the exit point. We needed a guide. On our spiritual journey we have a guide, a perfect one. "Without the Way, you will go in the wrong direction."
