The weather was so nice last week that I decided to use it to my advantage for Fast & Pray Days. I took the time that would have been my lunch and went for a prayer walk in the woods. It was beautiful... and treacherous. The paths were thick sheets of ice; simply lovely to look at and terrifying to navigate.
Monday's walk resulted in one good fall. No injuries to report and my pride was in tact since no one was around.
On Tuesday, the ice was showing signs of receding but a layer of water had been forming on the top making it even more slippery.
Wednesday turned into a couple's adventure for Rob and I as we tried not to break a hip while we skirted the edges of the paths that still had a bit of traction.
Thursday I was back in there alone on the slowest walk of my life. In fact, I could hardly walk on the paths at all. I had to trek through the trees in order to make it through.
On Friday, I asked Rob to join me again. He agreed... as long as we walked through the neighbourhood on the sidewalks. I couldn't argue.
So many object lessons came to mind during all of this but the one that I couldn't shake was this:
The path of least resistance is the most dangerous one.
The places where many, many people had gone before, where the path was clearly marked and wide enough for many people to walk, those were the steps that were beautiful to look at but incredibly dangerous to try and traverse.
It was when I went off the beaten path and found just a few footprints in the snow to follow that my footing was sure and I could make some real progress along the path. It might have looked like I was taking the longer route or expending more energy but I was actually gaining a lot of ground because I wasn't struggling for each step.
Maybe it's because I write a lot of sermons but I couldn't help but make the connection to my spiritual life. The wide-open path that goes along with what's easy and seems most normal to most people is most often the place where people feel lost, question what their purpose is, wonder if their lives are going anywhere and feeling trapped in their circumstances.
The path that detours from there seems like it takes more effort at first but you start to see pretty quickly that your steps are purposeful. The surroundings aren't quite as well known but they are interesting and soul-feeding and cause you to be fully engaged in the steps ahead.
To me, this is the Jesus-centred life. It's not what everyone else is doing, but it's available to everyone. Anyone could have stepped off the icy path and on to the sure footing in the woods but only a few did. But for me, when I did, what seems impossible (making it up that hill!) became possible and beautiful.
Is there some place in your life where you're stuck on the path of least resistance and you're realizing it's just a sheet of ice, not a place that you can keep moving forward?
I'm praying that the Holy Spirit will speak to each of us and show us any place in our lives where we need to step out of what we've been trying and into where He is leading... even if it's not the most obvious choice to the people around us... and take us to the places where we can find life (to the full).
Praying with you and for you,
Pastor Tracy
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
This Sunday
EASTER… SO WHO IS JESUS?
Willing
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