Since forging fellowship in Vanity Fair, Christian and Hopeful have faced many challenges and trials together. But as they near the end of their journey, they face one of the most sinister and insidious perils of all. ‘They came into a certain country, whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy’. With deft narrative, Bunyan is alerting us to the peculiar temptations and dangers that come about as one grows older, and with it, weary of the race and tired in the fight. After years of Pilgrimage, there is a lethargy that comes with sheer spiritual fatigue.
Ironically, it may be brought on by a constructive turn of events. In Bunyan’s day there were periodic seasons when persecution was relaxed. It is a much-observed phenomenon in such times that those who were diligent in the storm become careless during the calm. But it also be triggered by less dramatic circumstances. In our own context, it’s onset can be triggered by a key change or life event, such as retirement. Old habits are broken and new ones can leave little room for the things of God. We take a ‘well-earned rest’, even from the ministry and mission of the Church; ‘sleep is sweet to the labouring man’. We might have come to the end of a particularly intense period of life, or maybe we just quietly begin to feel that being part of the 20% who do 80% of the work has begun to feel too costly. Or maybe it’s simply that we are tired, feel like we’ve ‘done our bit’, or find ourselves unconsciously slipping into a less challenging way of being a Christian. In one sense the context and contributing factors aren’t the issue. The issue is the effect, which is - in Bunyan’s terms - ‘sinful sleep’. We’d need to distinguish this from legitimate and godly rest, but once that is done, spiritual slumber remains both dangerous and disobedient (Prov.6:9-11; Rom.13:11).
Rising to fight the same battles day after day; facing sin, the world and the devil in their relentless assault; habitually attending to the means of grace; continuing faithful in the Path when so many others seem to find an easier way. It all takes its toll, and one of the last weapons in the arsenal of the enemy of our souls is the temptation to simply ‘take it easy a while’. But we must not ‘grow weary in doing good’ (Gal.6:9). ‘We must not ‘grow weary and lose heart’ (Heb.12:3). Jesus commends those who ‘have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary’ (Rev.2:3). The Bible’s vision is for us to finish our race strong.
Christian and Hopeful are alert to the dangers, having been warned by the Shepherds, and through having learnt from their own previous mistakes, and the mistakes of others. Remember Simple, Sloth and Presumption who slept near the cross, and Christian’s own sleep on the Hill Difficulty during which he lost his scroll? In order to resist the temptation to ‘take one nap’, the two fall into ‘good discourse’. This time they keep the warnings of Scripture in mind, and in so doing, avoid spiritual catastrophe.
We see Bunyan again underlining the importance of fellowship: ‘I acknowledge myself to be at fault’ confesses Hopeful, ‘if I had been here alone I had by sleeping run into the danger of death’. They share testimony, stories of spiritual struggle, failure and victories they have known along the Path. It is worth noting that this is fellowship. We can easily mistake friendship, or even socialising as fellowship, but Scripture has something far more profound, and frankly Christ-focussed, in mind when it talks of fellowship. I think of it a ‘friendship with an agenda’. That agenda is the spiritual strengthening and championing of each other. We encourage and challenge, inspire and motivate each other in our pursuit of Christ and Christlikeness.
In the company of such fellowship we can make it across the Enchanted Ground, and run the race to the end.
Questions to ponder:
As we approach the end of our Pilgrimage, where do we feel we can justify ‘taking the foot off the accelerator’?
What is the difference between legitimately slowing down as we get older because we have less energy, and the spiritual slumber Bunyan is warning us against?
For those who aren’t quite there yet: What can you put in place now that will equip to finish strongly as you draw nearer the end?
