A curious thing is that all of the stop signs are in English revisited.

Know this: The LORD Himself is God; He Himself has made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3

Sabed que el Señor es Dios:
él nos ha hecho y a él pertenecemos;
somos su pueblo, el rebaño que apacienta. Salmo 100:3

So yesterday I got another letter from Andres, the guy on the Camino with the healed leg who is now healed all over. And he wrote me just to say that if and whenever he might be discouraged he remembers our words and prayers for him. His life has totally changed since that moment and it was not a coincidence that God put us in his path to open his eyes.

And I do believe that this is a letter from God, reminding me of what is true as I deal with healing of my own, these pesky ribs and bronchitis, and with all of the eye-rolling What do you think you are doing? and heavy duty bike tubes and train tickets and Wow I don’t speak any French and sunscreen and I can but count it all joy.

Because He is God.

And I am the sheep of His pasture.

And He has ordained my path from the beginning of time.

And I think of the day when I first met Andres and his wife and his son and all of those gentle moments when My Shepherd guided my heart. When I grumbled at the very beginning of the day, Nicole pushed me forward, and He carried me up that second highest peak with the refrain, Holy, holy, holy. And as I stood at the bottom of the village of Mondoñedo, staring up at the church at the very top of a very long cobbled road straight up, and God whispered, “Go.” And the sort of grumpy old priest in the back room who said that I must go to the cathedral begun in 1219 on the top of yet another bumpy road up even though I was perfectly content with his humble parish church. And we went, after a cup of café con leche and a mysterious prayer that I will not know the end of until the time of new beginnings. And we ate our beautiful little pilgrim cake in the mid-morning sun, and when God said, “Kneel,” I knelt and prayed for His power and love to be manifest.

And Andres wrote me to remind me of all of this.

And my friend from the Dominican Republic Krista Wallace posted a blog link this morning that further speaks to my heart. And my mind. What is true.

You are on the path of My choosing. There is no randomness about your life. Here and Now comprise the coordinates of your daily life. Most people let their moments slip through their fingers, half-lived. They avoid the present by worrying about the future or longing for a better time and place. They forget that they are creatures who are subject to the limitations of time and space. They forget their Creator, who walks with them only in the present.

Every moment is alive with My glorious Presence, to those whose hearts are intimately connected with Mine. As you give yourself more and more to a life of constant communion with Me, you will find that you simply have no time for worry. Thus, you are freed to let My Spirit direct your steps, enabling you to walk along the path of Peace.

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Luke 12:25–26

To shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. Luke 1:79

And I remember that I chose the title to that day’s thoughts about the stop signs all being in English because the American sensibilities in me always mumble Stop, when He, my Shepherd, calls Come, come with Me.

And I join in the prayer of Andres, that he prays every morning now, giving thanks to God for making His presence known every single day and guiding him through it.

Selah.