There is a lot of wisdom along the path. One particularly long day, about three weeks into my journey, I encountered a seasoned walker who had done many different paths, but doing the Camino del Norte for the first time. He was an avid gardener. In fact, he was the gardener of a local monastery in his home town in Germany. He would stop frequently to admire various flowers, both in and out of the many gardens you would encounter along the journey.
Many of the flowers in northern Spain were unfamiliar to me. Others were familiar to me but seemed to grow much bigger than the varieties I had seen back home. The intricate petals and the beautiful plants were that day’s learning for me.
At one point, he stopped to show me some stinging nettle. He explained that this is a ‘power plant’ for walkers since the flowers carried significant proportions of protein and had healing properties in them. Pulling a few flowers from these plants and consuming them would be a boost to your system as you walked. He did this, and pulled a few flowers off for me as well.
This was not a wildflower I was very familiar with, but I would discover that they were a frequent presence along the road. I listened and learned much from my new walking companion that day.
He also highlighted the importance of pulling the flowers off the plant without touching the leaves. Stinging nettle doesn’t carry this name unnecessarily. The leaves can sting if you touch them. I would experience that sensation a few times throughout my journey when I wasn’t quite as adept as my German guide had been. And when you were stung, you’d feel it for the rest of the day.
Many days later, as I considered the beneficial and the not-so-beneficial aspects of this same plant, I began to consider a few things that nature would highlight for me in human nature.
I’ve come across many people throughout my life that rubbed me the wrong way, had a personality that didn’t click with me, and were people with whom I would generally avoid spending time. I’ve also had the occasion of having staff members that made others uncomfortable or would have trouble working in a team environment. People with ‘stingers’, if you follow my analogy.
And yet, I would notice that these people also brought significant value to their communities and workplaces, and frequently had skills that exceeded many others I’ve met. On occasion, I would actually recognize that what made them difficult, also made them effective or good at other things. A surgeon might have a coolness of disposition that is great for a steady and confident hand, but terrible for a bedside manner. Someone who is a great talker might be an excellent fundraiser or communicator, but might get on your nerves in a social setting.
Stinging nettle’s nature is also a reflection on the way that we are as human beings… deep value, and less appealing aspects. And there were, occasionally, people I met on the road who I preferred to steer clear from… but when I spent some time with them, I could soon find the deeper strengths and gifts they had. Even if I would later choose to admire them from afar!
As a church, we claim to believe that God’s creation is very good. That human beings are, at their essence, a reflection of the divine spirit. Yet we can be quick to judge a person based on their economic or social status. A new person we encounter might not act the same as we do in social situations. And it can be easy for us to find our social circle comforting and one of the key reasons we go to church – to connect with people whose company we enjoy. But cliques that form don’t make for a good welcome to those who appear on our doorsteps for the first time.
Further, we might not ‘click’ with everyone. As I’ve been regularly reminded, we’re called to love everyone, not necessarily to like them. That’s precisely the point of course. We show love when we take the time to get past our initial impressions, become curious and ask questions, and eventually the Spirit reveals to us the presence of the divine in that person too. It’s there. It’s always there. And if we don’t see it, it’s because we’re not looking hard enough.
So let’s be self-aware of those times when our first gut instinct is to not see value in someone. Let’s love abundantly and with wild abandon with those whom we might not immediately connect. If we start from a place of love, there’s no telling what flowers we’re about to discover beneath those leaves
Rev. Éric Hébert-Daly spent June and July 2024 walking the Camino del Norte, the Camino Lebaniego, the Camino Primitivo, the Camino Inglés and the Camino Muxia/Finistera as part of his sabbatical. He walked 1458kms carrying his backpack across mountains, fields and coasts while holding communities of faith and ministry personnel in prayer. Éric will share some insights of his journey over the coming months.
