The right path

It's been far too long since I've blogged, and far too long since I tackled the South Cliff mountain trail across the street from my house. So this weekend I took on both, in an attempt to get back on track so to speak. South Cliff is four miles up, four miles down. There's one trail which snakes it's way up the top, but there are several "false" trails which branch off the main trail along the way. If you aren't paying attention, it's easy to take the wrong trail....all of them lead (eventually) nowhere, and along the way to the deadend the path tends to get more dangerous because it's less traveled. There are more rocks, roots, and ruts. When I'm running that trail on a regular basis I don't have to think twice about staying on the right path, it's second nature. I simply KNOW each turn, and it's obvious as I approach a false trail which direction I should turn. When I've been away for awhile, I'm less sure, less comfortable, and the chances of me making a wrong turn increase exponentially. So you know where this is going....a few miles into the ascent, I reach an intersection and I choose the wrong trail, and it takes me far too long to figure out I've headed off course. When I finally do, I've gone a good half mile out of my way and subjected my ankles to some pretty nasty terrain. I eventually got back on the right path, but it wasn't without paying a price. I continued up the mountain, but left a marker at the intersection so I wouldn't make the same mistake on the way down.

When I reflect upon why I messed up, it's clear - too much time away from the trail. It became less familiar, and I wasn't paying attention. In life, there's one trail head as we start out but many intersections and paths we can take along the way. Pick the wrong one, and there can be ramifications and repercussions, some from which we can recover, others from which we can't. So how do we know? How do we choose the "right" one? We stay close to God, we stay in His Word, we surround ourselves with people who care for us and who can provide direction when we are lost. And we pay attention to the markers God leaves for us along the way. When I take several weeks off from church, allow my time in the Word to become less of a priority, or drift away from those relationships that hold me accountable, I become vulnerable. Vulnerability generally leads to sin, especially if it's been awhile since I've been on that right path. So I will endeavor to make South Cliff more of a priority, but more importantly I'm committed to getting my faith walk back on track, so that the right path becomes more obvious and discernment becomes second nature. BELIEVE.

"Show me the right path, O Lord, point out the road for me to follow" Psalm 25:4