about a pilrim's progress. . .

The other evening John and I situated our little laptop on a sturdy chair in the bedroom and inserted the Pilgrim's Progress DVD- whether viewing the old or new version or reading the classic, it's always a worthy pursuit. It's about every pilgrim's progress-it's about me. . .
So, I'm watching. . . then Christian and Hopeful lumber over that fence, off the rocky path, into pastures of ease, into the land of Giant Despair-in my mind I'm yelling, What are you doing? don't you know that's danger? foolish! Get back on the path. . .(curious how from a distance one can easily discern another's wanderings.)
And me? I confess to wandering- both blindly and deliberately off the path, the path so clearly marked for me by the King. . .
"But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the deeds of the flesh." Galatians 5:17 tumbles around inside me from this week's Bible study-Heart, how do I walk by the spirit?
I cling to the image of the pilgrims walking. . .and so I walk, step by step, choosing to depend on the Spirit moment by moment, crying out to Him in prayer, exposing my mind to Scripture, seeking to obey it, grateful for opportunities to put sin to death. . .
I cling to the image of true companionship-the pilgrims in Doubting Castle lay perishing; then Hopeful encouraged his depairing companion with truth-together they remembered the promises of God.
"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. . ." (Ecc 4:9-12)
hmmm,. . .so we talked about that last week too, about true friends, those who challenge and exhort, who hold us accountable even when it's risky, who tell us truth when we wander-I want to be and to have that sort of friend, don't you?. . . even when it's risky.