His Path (Lent) - Friday, February 23
"Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God,
am with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 (GNTD)
Walking down a path should be easy. One foot in front of the other. Right. Left. Right. Left. Don't stray from it. Try not to trip. Don't forget to breathe. Easy enough, right?
Growing up, I had one path in mind. Graduate high school. Go to college. Get my degree. Get married. Have 3 kids. And a dog. And a white picket fence. Perfect plan, right? Well, God had other plans.
So here I am. In Las Vegas, Nevada. Single. Degree-less. Working as a preschool teacher. Spending my summers with children and teens in remote Alaskan villages. And I couldn't be happier.
The average amount of remotely conscious decisions an adult makes each day is 35,000. I like to think of each choice and decision as a fork in the path. But what I didn't expect is one choice I made four years ago would lead to this moment right now. A choice to go on a mission trip, with a team I barely knew, to a small village in the Alaskan Bush called Venetie. Which led to the choice to go back again that next year. And the year after that. Which led to a growing passion for Native peoples and a mission for life.
Two-thousand years ago, our Savior died on a cross, and He, too, changed the paths for all people. That death and resurrection impacts the decisions we make each and every day of our lives! But God's clever like that. His plan for us can be confusing. Frustrating. Exciting. But ultimately, beautiful! He leads you down paths you'd never expect. Paths that you never even knew existed.
So when you're feeling lost, or you think you have your life perfectly planned out, know that the Lord is with you. Watching, teaching, guiding you down the path He created you for. And He promises to be with you wherever you go!
Lord, sometimes You take me down paths I don't expect. Help me to find comfort in your Word during those times in my life. Amen.