Following the Trail

If you’ve ever been hiking, you know that hiking trails have roots, rocks, uneven surfaces, branches and other obstacles that can get in the way. As I was hiking a few days ago, I continually looked ahead and focused on the ground so that I didn’t stumble or fall. Our lives as Christians are the same way.

There are distractions, temptations, and rocky areas. In the world around us, there are so many things that can be obstacles in our journeys, making it challenging to live lives of faithfulness and discipleship. It is important to stay focused on Jesus as we walk along the path, because if we don’t it will be much easier for us to trip and fall and to follow the ways of the world. When we turn our gaze away from Christ, He is looking upon us with love, ready to help us get back up and continue on the path towards Him.

Oftentimes when hiking, you get to a point where there are arrows pointing towards the different trails. You have to decide which direction to go and which trail to take to get to the right place. In our lives, there are many times where we find ourselves standing at a crossroads. Students going off to college have to decide if they are going to continue to practice their faith and choose Christ. They have to decide what kind of friends to hang out with and what kinds of activities to do on the weekend. Young adults finding a job have to decide what they are being called to do and how they will serve God, in whatever positions they find themselves working in. After that, we are continually faced with decisions, big and small, about which way to go in order to live out our faith as best as we can. Will we take the path toward the world or toward Christ?

Life is rocky and filled with obstacles and uneven surfaces. There are many different paths we can take. May we all keep our eyes focused on Jesus each day and choose the path that takes us closer to Him.