Walking with God on the Camino de Santiago

By Tan Lay Leng

While the King is at His table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance. Song of Solomon 1:12  

While journaling, I heard His voice, that my Camino would be a walk through the fragrance of His presence.

My Camino journey truly began within my heart, sparked by a beautiful sense of readiness to embark on this pilgrimage from 24 April to 30 April 2025. This readiness was not marked by excitement or anxiety but by a serene, settled feeling—a quiet peace that reassured me from within.  

Reflecting on my last trip to Europe, which was a whole decade ago, one might expect apprehension about enduring the long flight. Strangely, I felt none. Despite a bustling travel schedule leading up to this journey, which meant fewer regular walks than I had hoped for to build my stamina, a calm assurance remained.  

I could have been anxious about my physical endurance on the Camino, but instead, a deep peace steadfastly guarded my heart, anchoring me amidst uncertainties.

On the Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James, with fellow walking buddies on a spiritual journey, we covered more than 120 kilometres over seven days.

The journey presented its delights from the very start. Amazingly, my body felt strong throughout the journey. There was no moment of fatigue or exhaustion. One could not take for granted the physical strain of long distances. It tested the endurance of one fellow pilgrim, when blisters aborted the walk past the half-way mark.  

The shifting weather, from chilly mornings to scorching afternoons, demanded resilience and adaptability. Thankfully, it did not weigh on my body and spirit at all. I found myself delighting in every step of my walk as I breathed in the fresh air and scenic views.

Profound insights emerged as I took every step of opportunity to reflect deeply, letting the inner still small voice reveal discoveries of how the Camino parallels life. The quiet stretches of the trail allowed space for introspection, where inner healing took place, with newfound courage and clarity.

The companionship of fellow pilgrims provided emotional support and reminders of our shared purpose. Simple conversations, shared meals, and silent solidarity created connections beyond words, reinforcing the beauty of human connection.

Reaching Santiago marked not just the end of a physical journey but the beginning of a deeper understanding.  

The Camino brought me much joy and delight, the importance of community, and the transformative power of faith and reflection. I am aware that the discoveries made will continue to guide me, long after the final step was taken.

During the first three days, the markers on the Camino provided directions and much assurance. On Day Four, there were junctures between two Camino markers when I had wondered if I was on the right track. I could not see the next marker after a seemingly long walk and along the way, there was another trail I could choose to walk onto.  When I decided to walk on further, without being “distracted” or “misdirected” into another pathway, the Camino marker appeared.  

Timothy Khoo, fondly known as Tim, our spiritual guide, imparted a thought-provoking insight: "You need to know what you need to know when you need to know it."

On the Camino de Santiago, this wisdom mirrors the journey itself. The path is marked with yellow arrows and scallop shells, guiding pilgrims step by step.  These markers, painted or affixed to various surfaces, are placed approximately every 80 metres. Interestingly, as pilgrims progress and approach the 70-metre mark without spotting the next sign, a flicker of doubt often arises: Am I still on the right path?

This scenario illuminates Tim's profound message. Life, much like the Camino, does not reveal all its signs at once. The knowledge or guidance we seek often appears precisely when needed. Until that moment arrives, fretting or striving prematurely serves little purpose. Instead, we are invited to embrace the journey and to savour each step, each encounter, and each present moment.  Trust that when the time is right, clarity will unfold. God will reveal what you need to know. Meanwhile, cherish the people and experiences in your "now."

Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, along some distant day into the answer.  ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

A pilgrim on a Camino before shared about her heart of stone towards her husband, and how she really needed God’s help to replace it with a heart of flesh. Lo! She saw this on the Camino!

The way of the Camino is also the way of the heart. While climbing uphill, I found that it helped me tremendously to posture my heart for the climb. When each steep incline came, I would not think when the path would end, instead, I simply postured my heart to climb.  

I remember moments when my heart cheered itself to keep going. It worked brilliantly to make the climb seem less strenuous. The quiet whisper of assurance would echo within my heart, "You can do it. Many prayers have gone up for you."  

My heartbeat synchronised with the rhythm of my footsteps, a steady reminder that God is with me. With each upward step, I could sense His presence.  

Standing atop each summit, I felt not just the triumph of reaching higher ground but the tender embrace of grace that carried me there.  Climbing uphill on the Camino de Santiago was not just a test of physical endurance; it was a mirror reflecting the landscapes of my heart.  The uphill journey taught me that the heart’s posture defines the climb. Whenever we meet with life’s challenges, we want to end them. Learn to embrace the challenges through a heart posture adjustment, for within it lies the transformation, a sacred unveiling of strength, faith, and the quiet beauty of perseverance.

By the way, God is so present in the climb. And He walks slowly. Kosuke Koyama, the late Japanese theologian, in “Three Mile an Hour God” writes, “God walks ‘slowly’ because He is love. If He is not love He would have gone much faster.  Love has its speed. It is an inner speed. It is a spiritual speed. It is a different kind of speed from the technological speed to which we are accustomed.  It is ‘slow’ yet it is lord over all other speeds since it is the speed of love. It goes on in the depth of our life, whether we notice or not, whether we are currently hit by storm or not, at three miles an hour. It is the speed we walk and therefore it is the speed the love of God walks. The people of God were taught the truth of bread and the word of God in the wilderness as they walked three miles an hour by the three mile an hour God. The Canaanite woman believed in Jesus Christ against all her own speeds by trusting the speed of the promise of God.”

Facing challenges and wishing they will end soon? His timing is not ours. He knows best. And He does all things well. Let Him lead. Walk in step with Him.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25  

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalms 27:14  

And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak. Mark 7:37  

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9  

So, I completed my Camino. You would think that would be the grand finale, end of story, right? Honestly, that was just the beginning. When I reached the southeast gate of Santiago, there was this overwhelming sense of, Wow, I did it!

 But the Camino was more than just the kilometres walked; it was a lesson tucked into every step, and those lessons did not stay behind on the trail, they followed me home.

Hildegard of Bingen once said, “You understand so little of what is around you because you do not use what is within you.”  

The Camino helped me discover what is inside, and now, it is about using that in the messiness and beauty of everyday life.