I’ll Push You: ‘God Was Saying I Need to Do This’

Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray from I’ll Push You

Patrick knew that the pilgrimage would be incredibly intense. Not only would he be pushing and pulling his friend through most of it, but he’d need to take care of most of Justin’s physical needs, too. Not every friendship, no matter how special, could deal with that level of intimacy.

“Justin and I had a lot of conversations [along the Camino] about what makes our friendship tick,” he said. “Man, your friendship is not normal. There’s a level of vulnerability and intimacy that has to exist for it to flourish.”

While Patrick prepared himself as much as possible for the challenges he’d face, he might not have been prepared for the spiritual wallop the Camino had in store for him. He talks about how the pilgrimage forced him to face some of his personal “demons.” The walk didn’t just force Patrick to look at God through a new lens, he says: “It crushed that lens and threw it away.”

Through this intense journey—and through meeting so many unselfish fellow pilgrims along the way—he came to have a better appreciation of the beauty of relationship. In the Bible, Patrick says, Jesus “chooses relationship over religion every time. Without fail.”

“For me, I came home with a greater appreciation of a God of love and mercy. And a God of compassion.” And he was determined to live that love, mercy and compassion out more in his own life.

For his part, Justin says that he “wasn’t really looking for some spiritual transformation. I had a pretty good grasp of who I was as an individual.” But what he did bring back was a newfound appreciation for his fellow person. Time and time again, total strangers would come alongside and help he and Patrick, even helping to literally carry Justin up a mountain.

“My faith in humanity was restored in the course of this pilgrimage,” he said. People along the way helped both he and Patrick through some incredibly difficult challenges.

Patrick chimes in. “What kind of world would that look like if we did that for one another?” he asks.

Look for a screening of I’ll Push You near you—for one night only, Nov. 2. It’s well worth your time.