Finding the Right Way for Me
I have enjoyed many backpacking trips, mostly in the Sierras. The air, the starry night sky, water straight from snowpacks … WOW! Of course, getting to our camping site is always an interesting challenge. Getting too far off the well-marked trail is risky, and, sadly, can be deadly. But…
Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:13-14: “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (New Living Translation)
I’ve often found the most beautiful spots and most amazing vistas were off the beaten path. Safe paths are often marked by a cairn, or pile of stones. Those stones take away the risk of getting lost, but it means going the same way other people had gone. I found that I could leave the trail by finding a visible landmark, such as a mountain peak, and that was enough to get me to the place I wanted to find and get me back to camp in time to fix supper and get a good night’s sleep.
Staying on a well-worn trail is safe, it is comfortable and usually gets us to our destination. Getting OFF that trail helps us find the unusual, the sites that few others will see and the vistas that amaze. And if we choose the right marker, and keep that in sight, we will have amazing adventures.
Yeah, I know it could get me in trouble (and it has), but as Jesus said, the narrow path leads to life. And, in the words of Robert Frost, I think I’ll choose “the road less travelled.”
Prayer: “Creator God, help us find the path that leads us to do your will in our lives. In the Spirit of Jesus, Amen
Clyde Vaughn