The Path of Unknown

                What if I fail? What if this doesn’t work? How will I do this? God, are you sure? Do You know who I am? Why do you think someone like me could ever do something like this? These are just a few of the many questions that have been going through my heart ever since a very dear and beloved sister in the Lord asked me to take a step of faith with her. Since that day my heart has been racing with the certainty of all my inadequacies. But God reminds me that it is not me, it is Him. It’s not my will, but His will. It’s not my way but His way. He reminds me of my life verse; the verse that has propelled me through this path of life with Him over and over again.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 ESV

                If you know me you will know that I love to ride my bike. There is something about being out in the early morning hours, listening to the joy of His creation as it wakes up all around me. For the past few months I have ridden the same path, but the other day I decided to try a new trail. It’s not that there was anything wrong with the first trail; I just thought it was time to try something new. So I loaded up my bike and I headed out.

             The beauty of this new trail was spectacular. There were new sights and new sounds all around me. There were wooden bridges crossing bustling streams, deer and squirrels and rabbits running before me, beside me and in front of me. But then I came upon this one part of the path and stopped dead in my tracks. Before me was nothing but leaves. The path was buried in the thickness of fall. I panicked. What if I went off the path and got lost? What if I go off the pavement and puncture a tire. I did not bring a spare tube, and the thought of walking my bike 10 miles back to my car was not appealing at all. (If you have ever tried to walk in bike shoes you will totally understand my hesitation!) But as I stood there, panicking and pondering on what I should do next, God, in His great and precious wisdom spoke and said,

“Just because you cannot see the path does not mean it’s not there.”

                My heart humbled before my God and leapt with joy all at the same time. He was right. No matter what happened He was still with me. If I failed, He would still be there. If I wondered off the path and punctured my tire, He would still be there with me, hiking back to where I started. I needed to take my eyes off what I could not see, and turn my focus back on what I could see- His faithfulness towards me. I could do this, because He was with me every step of the way.

                As I looked up from the path I saw the tree line of the forest softly bending to the left, and I knew that He would guide me in His gentle and loving way, I just had to trust Him. I had to trust that He would guide me along the way that I was to go, using the trees and the things around me to point me in the right direction. My life verse in Ephesians 2:10 reminds me that He has already prepared this path for me, all I have to do is trust Him enough to walk it.

                As I got back on my bike I began to see the gentle curves of the tree line as they pointed me in the right direction. I stayed on the path. I did not wander, and I did not fail. In fact, as I kept on going I came across a beautiful overlook and was able to rest and give praise to my God who brought me through it all. You are His child. He created you for this moment, for “such a time as this”.

Just because we cannot see the path doesn’t mean it’s not there.

                 Trust in Him, and as you follow the gently leading of His grace you will begin to see that every moment in your life has brought you to this moment. Everything in your life He has been using to prepare you for the works that He has for you. Every lesson learned, every prayer, every word of His to you has gently led you in His grace for such a time as this. All He asks is that you trust Him

enough to walk it out. If you put your faith in Him, and stop looking down at what you cannot see, He will begin to strip away your fears and you will be able to keep going. He will begin to strip away your inadequacies and replace them with His power, His strength and His might. He will, in His time, show you that He has prepared this path especially for you, and you can trust in Him. And in the end, we stand before Him we will be able to stand at the beautiful overlook of our lives and see how all the pieces fit together and brought us to this moment, this place, and this path. Just trust Him. Amen.