Two Lifestyles
“I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth…” Genesis 4:14
“…they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13
Since man fell in sin and was forbidden to eat from the tree of life, the possibility to live eternally vanished and he knew that his life would sooner or later come to an end. This end could be transitory or permanent, depending on his acceptance or rejection of the plan God Father, in His infinite grace, had made and fulfilled to save humanity.
Man was given free will, the possibility to choose and God, through His Spirit, is constantly speaking to our conscience and conveying the message: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life…” Deuteronomy 30:19 We make the choice how to live upon this earth, either as fugitives and vagabonds which was Cain’s case or as strangers and pilgrims which was the case of Abraham and the patriarchs.
In both these cases there is no permanent residence, there is a constant movement, but there is a big difference in the state of mind and the destination of these two kinds of people. A fugitive is running away from someone, is chased, many times has a burdened conscience, looks for a place to hide, for a shelter. A vagabond roams about without a goal, without aspiration, lives near the places where the people dump their rubbish expecting to find something to eat and sleeps in the open together with the roaming dogs having as a blanket the starry sky which he does not dare to look at because he considers himself excluded from the promise written on them, the promise given to Abraham and to all who share his faith and faithfulness: “In blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven…” Genesis 22:17, the promise of making out of us a light on this world and of helping us grow in Jesus “the morning star” Revelation 2:28
What a sad life is the one spent drifting, having as the only expectation death, going through life without knowing where one comes from, what the purpose of it is, why one actually lives, knowing that one is dust and to dust one will return and after that nothing.
A stranger and a pilgrim on the other hand has a completely different attitude. A stranger knows he does not belong to the place where he is, that means he knows the place he comes from. He identifies himself with something, with a fatherland. He has a place of origin, a citizenship. Paul reminds us: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Phi-lippians 3:20. Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world” and in Matthew we are told we should look first for the kingdom of Heaven. Man, as a stranger on this earth, has a heavenly and royal origin and tries to spend his temporary life in the enemy’s territory without being taken into captivity, but as a free man.
A pilgrim although he is on the move, has a goal, he is going somewhere to worship and he knows very well where and how. “God is Spirit and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 On his way to the holy shrine he is in constant prayer and feeds himself spiritually with God’s word. He looks at the sky and is guided by the stars as were the magi who came from the Orient to worship Jesus at his birth place. These stars were angels whose presence he can spot at his side at all times.
A pilgrim walks with his feet firm on the earth, careful to follow the right route which was set in front of him but with his head set in heaven where the object of his adoration is and where he belongs and longs to go to, physically. He does not dwell in a house, but in tents because he desires a better and heavenly country. “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:16 He considers even his bone structure as a tent, a temporary dwelling place because he believes the promise: “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God… for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:50, 53.
A pilgrim also knows that he is dust and to dust he will return, but he believes that the One who out of love died for him and resurrected from the dead will bring him back to life because “If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:19. His hope is the one of Job: “And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.” (19:25)
May the Lord help us accept His infinite grace and live a life like Abraham’s, longing for the heavenly city whose architect is God and not like Cain, believing that our sins are too big to be forgiven and thus limiting God’s capacity to show mercy.
AMEN