Where You Go....

I came upon the father and son two miles into my run; the boy was no older than five, his dad just enough in front of him to lead the way as they navigated the Mountains to Sea trail on a beautiful Autumn day. Covered in a thick bed of fallen leaves, the path ahead wasn't always clear but I could tell the father knew where he was going and the son seemed to know he was in good hands. After hitting the turnaround point three miles into my 10K run, I'm returning back on that same path and the two hikers come into sight again, but this time the son is out just ahead of his dad - not too far but enough to make it seem like he was the one blazing the trail. I caught the boy looking back every few steps just to make sure his father was still there, and with every glance of confirmation I could see the boy picking up pace and gaining confidence that he was headed in the right direction. Just before our paths crossed for the second time I noticed that the boy had stopped, right in front of a large tree that had fallen across the trail. while he patiently waited for his father to lift him up over it. As I passed them I wished them both a great walk and I finished out the last few miles of my run.

Over those miles I couldn't help but think about the relationship between that father and son, and the intentional approach the dad had with his young boy - how it parallels God's approach with us as we walk our life's journey. Sometimes He's out in front of us, guiding and leading our way as we navigate the path - He's never too far out ahead (it only feels that way when we forget to include Him in our thoughts and we are less than intentional with our prayer life). Other times He's right behind us, allowing us to pursue a path but available for counsel and guidance as our personal GPS should we ever doubt that the path is the right one. Either way, He is right there, as He promises in Matthew 28:20 "I am with you always, even to the end of time."

We are all like that five-year old boy even as we grow, age, and experience life. We'll never reach that point where we can go it alone without the guidance of our Father. The trail ahead is far too difficult, filled with too many obstacles and challenges. We often try, but we soon realize we're lost, wandering aimlessly and often dangerously close to losing all the good that God has intended for us. The closer we remain to Him the less overwhelming those obstacles and challenges seem when we do encounter them; because it's not a matter of if, but when. And during those times, our Father picks us up, holds us closer, and carries us over and through the challenge. The obstacle isn't taken away, it's just endured. And when we are over it and out the other side, we can look back knowing that He was right there with us the whole time. BELIEVE.