Life's Paths

Yesterday I had the opportunity to do my favorite kind of running--trail running. Dad, Zach, and I all went up to Jubilee Lake for the morning. They went fishing, but I didn't have a license, so I went running on the trail around the lake. It was so beautiful....the lake was a mirror reflecting the world, the birds cheerfully sung their morning songs, and the air was damp and cool beneath the canopy of trees. For a moment, I was taken  back to some of my races in cross country...Catherine Creek Scamper and a collegiate race in Canada. The ups, downs, twists, and turns of the paths make you feel as if you are almost on a roller coaster with the trees flashing by. At points I feel as if I'm going so fast I won't know what to do if I encounter someone on the path around the corner. Maybe that is why I like it so much, I feel fast....haha. Sometimes though I like to jog along slowly enjoying the scenery around me. Often I see a beautiful flower, or a unique animal that makes me want to wander off the path for a look. The most tempting is the alternative paths I see wandering off through the woods. Where do they go?

In life I'm running on a trail or path. This path is obvious. It is clearly lined by the lack of foliage, it is beaten down, it is wide enough to travel on, it may even be accompanied by an occasional arrow cut in the bark of a tree, it is markedly defined. I see the path at first glance. This is the path the Lord has for me, the path of righteousness openly outlined in Scripture. It is distinct, incontestable, and evident. I do not have to search for it. Just like yesterday, there are times where I am tempted by the scenery off the path. The sin of life seems so tantalizing, so beautiful, so unique, if I could just get a closer look. There are also times where I come to a split in the path, a grey area in life. Both paths are wide enough to travel on and markedly defined. They are not the alternative paths wandering off through the woods, but main paths. What do I do? Which one do I choose? I have no way of knowing where either will lead. So I have to choose and trust the Lord. As I move down the path I have chosen, I will discover whether it is really a main path. It may quickly deteriorate, narrowing as the foliage creeps in until I find myself lost, searching. Despite my best efforts I do not always choose the right path the Lord has for me, however I believe He is faithful to reveal this to us if we seek Him.

Isaiah 30:12 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Let us run the clear path of righteousness the Lord has laid out and when we are unsure trust the Lord will show us if we have gone wrong when we seek Him wholeheartedly.

Add: 5.5 walking, 11 running