How far are you? How close am I? I know your words are true and I don't feel them inside. Still I believe, you'll never leave So where are you now? My journey's here, but my heart is there So I dream and wait and keep the faith, while you prepare Our destiny, 'til you come back for me Oh please make it soon... (Chris Rice, "Smile") A steady stream of water coming from the gutter pools on the steps of my back porch. The rain brought the cold weather, turning the tips of leaves into shades of crimson and orange and bright yellow, like that of a rubber duck. And with the crisp weather, it brought a yearning for clarity ahead. The briskness in the air always gets me thinking about where God is taking me and how that fits into His plan for my life. It gets me to a place of walking. There are some trails (more like major gravel pathways through wooded area surrounded by busy roads) near my old place where I used to run. I met my friend Lauren there one evening and headed out. Side by side, we walked in patches of silence, bringing up some conversation when we wanted to. And I spent the whole time looking ahead, at the path before us. To me, a path always represents an uncertainty; it winds and twists and suddenly disappears, only to be found again and lead somewhere. But for a moment, I saw the path beneath me as steady. I mean, does the path really ever change? No. We are the ones who are changing. I am changing my position on it. It is our movement forward that, for me, projects this feeling of uncertainty. Yet the path itself remains constant, not moving amidst the changes of seasons and the hundreds of people that walk its course. So what if our faith is like a path? The song above speaks of a man who's heart is yearning for God, yet knowing that his journey is not yet complete. He is one of us, asked to walk in faith and remain until we are called. Yet what if we looked at our faith instead like a path, where the consistency isn't achieved by moving forward, but by simply being on it? If God is the path, then regardless of where we are going or where we are on the path, he is there - beneath us, before us, behind us. He asks us to move forward in our faith - that's the uncertainty. But He promises us certainty. That's the fact that we're on the path and He will not leave us. He will always be guiding us, regardless of the terrain or weather. It's hard to believe most days. That I have a God who is there despite it all. Regardless of where I am in the journey. He loves me because He has chosen me and I am simply standing on His path. There are times in my life where I know I have simply stood there, refusing to take one more step. Other days, I find myself out of breath from running so hard out of joy, laughing as I catch my breath, caught up in the delight of His love. But His love of me doesn't hinge on my movement. It never did. With the sun promising to duck behind the horizon soon, our walk came to an end. But the autumn still has lots of time left, leaving these thoughts to swirl around in my heart, like the leaves being blown by the gusting winds...
4 Comments
|
Archives
April 2012
Categories
All
|