Running Ahead

“Sprint. Go. Don’t stop, not even for a breath”.  Do you ever hear yourself telling you to keep going, going, going, full throttle?  You may think you know what you’re running toward or into, but do we really?  Only God knows what lies ahead of us.  Its like there are 2 roads, one road has some bumps, pot holes, oil spills, and may be quite narrow but theres is peace throughout the process of walking along it.  The other road, the second road, is full of massive obstacles such as bent over trees fallen to the ground, clouded with fog and darkness as the sun hides from us, gaping cracks in the road to keep us stuck, and sometimes even hitch hikers, you know, the scary one’s that carry a duffle bag with who knows what in it.  I don’t think we always know what road we are choosing. Sometimes we think we are headed in the right direction so we don’t stop and ask God for guidance or any assistance at all, whatsoever.  “I’ve got this one God”, we say boldly and confidently to ourselves.  Yet, we end up facing huge obstacles as we fight our way onto the road we thought was best. Once we have our mind focussed on the end goal, we push on and try to figure our  own way out of the quick sand that now consumes us, to get to where we think “we need to be”.  ...What about God?  Where is He in this master plan of ours?  

The first road, "the narrow peaceful road with some bumps along the way" seems like a better place for us to travel.  Yet, a lot of the time we don’t go that direction.  We forget that God knows whats best for us, and we lose sight of surrendering our lives over to His will and following His path.  You see, walking with Hiim isn’t always easy, or graceful, or struggle-free, but He promises us peace, strength, hope, and endurance along the way.  With the Lord at our side we can climb any mountain, endure any storm, and persevere with peace knowing He’s got us and his Holy Spirit is alive in us enabling us to do so.  

When we run ahead, we really only imagine ourselves ahead, in reality we are taking the longer route to where God is eventually going to get us to go.  I once read a story about a caterpillar who fought to be the greatest caterpillar in the world, but God had a different plan.  Once, the caterpillar gave up trying so hard to be something he wasn’t, he surrendered in the cocoon, gave up fighting, and became a beautiful butterfly.  At times, I find myself striving to stay on the ground with the rest of the crowd, doing what feels comfortable.  When I rest in God’s comforting hands I realize I’m not meant to crawl on the ground, I’m meant to soar.  Walk easy, gently, and peacefully.. where are you really rushing off to?  This year, let's pace ourselves, be patient, trusting, and never running ahead of God.  Make a conscious effort to avoid the road that looks shorter, the one that is so tempting to jump onto with both feet, the road enveloped with obstacles and never-ending twists and turns.  Close your eyes and ask God, "what's my next move?".

                                                        

"TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost