Path’s and Way’s
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Psalms 25:4 (NIV)
We just finished graduation celebrations where many speakers shared their advice. One particular speaker, Abraham Verghese, gave a notable address to Harvard University graduates. During this same time, I had the opportunity to read two wonderful books that describe in detail the “paths and ways” of living.
All three address the “paths and ways” of our lives as we make spaces for finding meaning. For Douglas Brouwer in “The Traveler’s Path”, the spiritual dimension is found in the German word, “Sehnsucht”.
“In short, I’ve never lost my Sehnsucht..a yearning for something that might somehow complete us. Yearning. Longing…”
For Travis West In “The Sabbath’s Way” meaning is found in living “Sabbath”.
“So, too, the Sabbath is a way of gently breaking cycles of isolation and exclusion… to learn to see the world through a lens of wholeness and interdependence …”
Whether by “Seinsuchtl” or “Sabbath” we can find a place of belonging. It is an intimacy that brings healing and meaning to our lives.
Thanks for the words and lives of Abraham Verghese, Douglas Brouwer and Travis West, The relationships we have with each other and the larger dimensions of our lives are stories we need to live and tell.
Marvin
p.s. Go get the books and watch the Harvard Commencement.
References
Abraham Verghese Delivers the Commencement Harvard Commencement 2025
A Time of Challenge and Resilience
https://singjupost.com/transcript-of-abraham-vergheses-harvard-commencement-speech-2025/
Brouwer, Douglas J.. The Traveler's Path: Finding Spiritual Growth and Inspiration Through Travel (p. 214). Kindle Edition.
West, Travis. The Sabbath Way: Making Room in Your Life for Rest, Connection, and Delight (p. 142).. Kindle Edition.
Hage, M. L. (2015). Healing Missions.
http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2015/05/healing-missions.html
Hage, M. L. (2017). Sabbath Healing
http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2017/02/sabbath-healing.html
Hage, M. L. (2025). Belonging
http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2025/03/belonging.html
