This scene brought back childhood memories of walking in a woods near my aunt’s house in the Fall as we gathered pine cones. This path was a new one for me, though, as we walked into the cluster of pine trees. The trees were trimmed back neatly to show where to enter from the open part of the path, and once inside, it was like a wonderland. I loved to look up and see the tall trees standing so straight and elegant. Pine needles covered the ground. At one point, we had to stop and decide which way to go because the pine needles had completely obliterated the gravel path to the point that we couldn’t tell where the path was. It was hidden.
Isn’t your life and mine like that at times? We’re going along just fine and think we know where we are and which way to go next, and then all of a sudden the path seems to end. The path is hidden or dead-ends. It may not be with pine needles. It may be a cloud of confusion hiding the path like fog on a misty morning, or the sun casting a glare on our path, making it difficult to see where we’re going. It may even be people, things, or events blocking our path.
“What is hidden will be seen.
And what is out of sight will be
brought into the open and made known.”
Luke 8:17, NIRV
Do you ever wander around not sure which way to go? It could be when you’re driving, walking, or just life in general. The other day I was driving to a place I’d only been to one other time so I turned my GPS on. I had a friend in the car and we were talking, so I’m not sure if I didn’t hear my turn announced but we drove in a complete circle and backtracked to the road I should have turned onto but had passed. A big sign announcing my destination was at the end of the road as plain as day and had I been alone, I probably would have seen it and avoided the circle and backtracking. It doesn’t take much to distract us from following the path to our destination, does it?!
Satan likes to get us distracted, going in circles, heading the wrong direction, but all the while telling us we’re doing OK. Don’t believe it! His voice is so deceiving. Listen for God’s voice that will never mislead us. There will be times when you can’t see the path more than a few feet in front of you or maybe not at all. Just stop and pray and God will show you which way to go. I like the Footprints poem that tells us that when we think we’re walking alone, it is really the time when Jesus is carrying us like a father would his tired child, thus only one set of footprints instead of two in the sand. Click here to read the full poem.
Another analogy would be when you’re lost in a snowstorm and can’t see the road (or the sidewalk). If a vehicle had recently come that way, you’d be able to follow the tire tracks, or if a snow plow had been that way, you could at least trust that this is a road since you see banks of snow on either side. But if it’s a blizzard and you’re the only one out, it’s hard to find where the road is. We need others to walk alongside us in the Christian life. Then when one gets lost or confused, another can help us get back on the true path.
Have you ever given thought to WHY the path in front of you may seem to be hidden, why it appears to have come to an end? What do you do when the path seems to have ended? You have a choice to make—keep going but it might not be the right direction OR stop and think. You might need to inspect the surroundings for clues. Prayer is definitely a good choice when you’re not sure which way you should go. If the path had not ended, you would have kept on going, but perhaps that is not the path God intended for you to take. So stopping, reevaluating, and praying is wise.
The seemingly end to your path may be there for a reason. Look around and up for the reason. It will guide you to where you should be and away from the wrong path you might have taken if you hadn’t stopped.
If I’d been carrying a broom on our walk, I might have swept the pine needles away to see which way the path was going. As we stood and looked around, trying to decide where the path was, I looked way ahead and saw clearly the gravel path in the distance, so it was just a matter of keeping our eyes on that distant path to get us through the unknown hidden part of the path.
Don’t let your path be hidden. Keep your eyes on Jesus as you go through life. Let Jesus light the way for you and for those behind you so that you can all make it safely to your destination—Heaven!