trails
The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord up holds him with his hand.
Psalms 37:23-24 (New International Bible, 1978/2011)
The Lord has blessed me with the amazing opportunity to travel around the world and see his creation, but my favorite place will always be home. I grew up in the Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky area, but I currently live in Southwest Kansas. My parents own around 25 acres in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. In my opinion, it is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
We had around 10 different trails all throughout our property; some of them connected to other trails, some connected to our neighbor’s house, some would randomly end and some I never found the end of. I spent a great deal of time on these trails as a kid. I would sometimes walk with my dogs on them, ride my horse on them or ride an ATV on them. God taught me a lot on those trails and even though I am not able to physically go on them daily now; he is still teaching me through times of reflection.
Above all I have learned that the trail of life is one singular path with numerous options with the final destination being your eternity. As a child I would take a trail to a creek, have some fun and then return home. In life’s trails we can either keep moving forward or make turns along the way. We cannot turn around and go back—we can only keep moving forward.
As a 22 year old I have had to make some turns a few times in my life so far. I knew God was calling me into ministry when I was 14 years old and I finally surrendered to that call when I was 16 years old. My uncle (Trad York) was my pastor at the time and is still a trusted mentor to this day. I’ll never forget what he told me when I told him what I felt God calling me to. He said, “Ministry is a hard path because you never know where God will send you. And believe me, he will get you there. And you’re most likely not going to be where you would like to be.”
At that point my response was simply, “Yes, Lord.” I could not respond in any other way. I did not fully understand what or where God would be sending me. And I still don’t, but I am now around 6 1/2 years removed from that moment. I may not understand everything, but I do understand that if I’m following God then I’m going to be just fine. There may be times where I’m not comfortable along the trail, but that’s ok.
I have met people in my life who I would classify as conditional christians. Their response would’ve be something like, “Yes, Lord…if it makes sense and aligns with my plans.” No major decision I make ever usually makes sense on the front end and I typically have people telling me every reason why I shouldn’t go in that direction. Here’s the awesome thing about God. He gives me confidence. He gives me peace in every step I make and he allows me to make firm steps. Sure, I’ve stumbled and tripped along the way, but I get up and keep moving forward.
Life is a trail with ups, downs, twists, turns, valleys, hills, snakes, deer, berries, poison ivy, falling trees and creeks, but it shouldn’t have to be a guessing game. Sometimes God calls us down the trail full of poison ivy and sometimes he calls us to a beautiful creek. Regardless of where he calls us we are promised a few things. We don’t have to go down the trail alone. God has promised that he will guide us through his spirit and he places people in our lives that are a little further down the trail.
Finally, we are promised confidence. Hebrews 4:15-16 (New International Bible, 1978/2011) says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” God understands our struggles. He has walked the trail himself. He walked the trail that we couldn’t walk. He walked the trail without error straight to die on a cross for us.
Let this be an encouragement to you. Jesus is at the end of the trail. He is waiting for you. He is for you. Faith is not about what makes sense. Because God will likely never call you to what makes sense, but here’s what does make sense. God is God. He is the one who created the universe. He is all knowing and omnipresent. So, the next time you come to a y on your trail realize you ultimately have two options. Will you go the way that seems like the most logical and safe choice? Or will you take the turn that God calls you to even though it may seem unlikely?
