Have you ever had a blister? Have you had six at the same time? Have they ever formed into one big blister? How does one get blisters? According to WebMD, blisters are fluid-filled bumps that look like bubbles on the skin that form due to friction. While walking during World Youth Day my feet were covered in blisters. One morning I had three blisters on each pad of my foot and then suddenly I had two giant blisters on each foot. The other blisters had banded together making the rest of the journey very difficult.
As I carefully put one foot in front of the other I consulted fellow pilgrims for advice. Several suggested moleskin. A few suggested duct tape. Fewer suggested popping the ever growing bubbles. I walked for miles on rough cobblestone streets and up the hotel steps finding no relief for my pilgrim feet. On our final night we had to pack which meant walking from one end of the room to the other. Whether it was to throw things away or grab items off of shelves my feet couldn't handle the pain anymore. I had no choice but to shuffle around the hotel room on my knees.
I was too busy smiling in sweet relief to question how I looked. I flat out did not care what anyone could say to me in the moment. And this was a step in a healing direction. For two days prior to this moment we had walked almost twenty four miles at a pretty fast pace. I had trained everyday for months leading up to World Youth Day to be able to walk these distances. Pushing my limits further and further in pursuit of an encounter with Christ that made everything, including the blisters worth it.
The pain literally brought me to my knees and instead of fighting it I just found another way to get things done. As I walked through the Toronto airport very gingerly behind our group one of my fellow pilgrims passed me. He looked at me and said, "This is the happiest I've ever seen you." Not exactly the response you'd expect after four hours of sleep and constant pain from growing blisters, but he was right. The pain and discomfort were worth it because I'd earned these blisters.
It sounds funny I know to be proud of blisters, but it proved to me that I can do a lot more than I believe I can because of faith in God. The only way I made it through the continuos walking and constantly brining up the rear was to talk with the Holy Spirit. When I was far behind my fellow pilgrims and walking far behind them I knew I had one companion on the journey. The same companion, advocate, and comforter that was given to all of us at Pentecost.
Note: The sandals did not make it back to the states, but they served me well.
I was too busy smiling in sweet relief to question how I looked. I flat out did not care what anyone could say to me in the moment. And this was a step in a healing direction. For two days prior to this moment we had walked almost twenty four miles at a pretty fast pace. I had trained everyday for months leading up to World Youth Day to be able to walk these distances. Pushing my limits further and further in pursuit of an encounter with Christ that made everything, including the blisters worth it.
The pain literally brought me to my knees and instead of fighting it I just found another way to get things done. As I walked through the Toronto airport very gingerly behind our group one of my fellow pilgrims passed me. He looked at me and said, "This is the happiest I've ever seen you." Not exactly the response you'd expect after four hours of sleep and constant pain from growing blisters, but he was right. The pain and discomfort were worth it because I'd earned these blisters.
It sounds funny I know to be proud of blisters, but it proved to me that I can do a lot more than I believe I can because of faith in God. The only way I made it through the continuos walking and constantly brining up the rear was to talk with the Holy Spirit. When I was far behind my fellow pilgrims and walking far behind them I knew I had one companion on the journey. The same companion, advocate, and comforter that was given to all of us at Pentecost.
Note: The sandals did not make it back to the states, but they served me well.