Into the Woods..

The Christian walk is a journey through the woods. You only have one path. It's not a game path, not very wide or well-known. Yes, it has been traveled many times by many people, and there are markers left for you to follow, but it is narrow. And long--longer than you could ever hope to see. This narrow path is filled with dangers: fallen branches, trees, large boulders, snares, foot-falls, tree roots, acorns, and pebbles. The forest to either side is dense, thick with low hanging branches, thick ropey vines, and impenetrable underbrush. Within this scary forest are many dangers than those that cover the path before you--you just can't see the dangers in the woods. There are creatures that prowl the night and the side of your path, just waiting for you to wander off trail. Lions, and tigers, and bears, (oh my!) are lurking just beyond the shadows, thirsty for your souls. Even if you were able to escape the beasts in the woods, there are still the cliffs to avoid. On either side of the path, in the intense darkness of the woods, are very high cliffs. Falling down one would be certain death, and what's more, you cannot see them until it's too late and you're already falling.

That is the danger that waits for us beyond the borders of this narrow track that we try to follow in our Christian lives. Many times, we wish for a spotlight, gazing ahead, straining to see what awaits for us, what trees to climb over, what obstacles to go around, and if there is anyone ahead that we can follow. But as we gaze ahead, we trip over acorns, and fall flat on our faces. Or we drift, going off the path and into the dangerous abyss where evil lies in wait to take hold of us and sink its venomous teeth into our flesh. Looking ahead and what we cannot see in full detail blinds us to the danger right before us. We do not need a spotlight. We need a flashlight, a miner's hat with the little light on the front.

God's word is a light to our feet and a lamp to our path. Using His word as our guide, we can overcome any obstacle, AS IT COMES TO US, not before. The point of walking this path is not to see what is ahead. It is to walk the path in a way pleasing to God, trusting Him, believing that He will carry us through.