God And My Rocky Path

This morning, I sat down with my coffee, my devotional and my Bible and started reading.  This morning's reading from "Jesus Calling" referenced Psalm 37:23-24.

As I started working through my SOAP plan for this verse, I began to realize how much and how badly I have strayed off that path in my past.

For a season in my life, I strayed off the path and into a thorny wilderness.  I was that child who stomped away from her parents in a temper-tantrum huff, not quite knowing where I was stomping off to.....but I knew that I just didn't want to be where my parents (ie God) was.  But in spite of that, God still held my hand -- even though I may not have felt it or even WANTED it.

But after making many, many mistakes and bad choices, I had nothing to lose by tentatively stepping out of the thorny pathway.  I exchanged the thorns for rocks.....still not quite the path God had for me, but it was a little smoother....just a little.

Right now, I picture my life as the rocky pathway.  Rocks block my way and hinder my journey.  Rocks labeled "money", "jealousy", "temptation", "deceit", "anger", "laziness", "indifference", "selfishness", "lack of faith".

 

I now realize that if I follow God, I won't fail. God will hold my hand and guide me....knowing that I want to know Him more and want to change. He will help me down the path that He has for me, even though He knew I would choose the thorny path for awhile.  But as I start to emerge onto a path of rocks, He will still hold my hand as I stumble over them. Leading me to a smoother path.....the original path He had planned for me all along.

And as I trip over those rocks, I fall, skin my knees and hands, even bleed......wanting to just give up and not go on.  But God continues to hold my hand....holding a little tightly when I fall, trying to prevent it -- like when I hold my girls' hands when they look like they might fall too.  He pulls me up, steadies me.  He may even pick up that rock and throw it out of my way completely.....or He may throw it further down the path.....waiting to see if I trip over it again or if I will finally have faith, follow God, grip His hand tightly and finally.....FINALLY step over that rock....never to have it trip me up again.  Some rocks will remain or even come back occasionally, but will I trip again or will I hold God's hand and step over them?

 

The more I walk the path with You, the stronger I feel with Your grip on my hand.  The more I allow that grip to tighten, the more confident I feel to step over those rocks that seem to have followed me from my temper-tantrum, thorny journey.