While walking my ferret, Duke, I have noticed something that has given me a wonderful idea for a blog post. We always walk along a well-laid path. Duke sometimes stays on the path and sometimes he wanders off. When he stays on the path his walk is effortless, with no hassles. When he wanders off the path he encounters difficult terrain; difficult for a little guy with only 2 inch legs.
Duke will wander off the path into the tall green grass and rub his scent glands (which are on his shoulders) on the stalks of the grass to mark his territory. He repeats this process all over the place until he is completely lost. He will lift his head up as high as his neck will allow but he can't see anything past what is right in front of him. Once he is lost in the tall grass he also encounters the odd thistle which is very unpleasant. He also wakes up the mosquitoes that are sitting in the tall grass and they begin to bite. Duke tries to find his own way out of the tall grass and back to the path but no matter how hard he tries he just seems to get further and further away from the path. Duke is lucky that I am standing there watching over him as I gently guide him back to the path where he, once again, resumes his walk.
It reminds me of my walk with Jesus. When I became born-again God showed me a new path, one that is narrow but leads to eternity. Up until my early 30s I was making my own path; living my life my way. I was causing myself a lot of heartache along the way. I am not saying that once you become a born-again Christian you will no longer have trouble, because the Bible says otherwise. What I am saying is that when you do decide to give your life over to God and let him sit in the driver's seat, you will have a lasting peace and joy that you cannot find any other way. When I was living my life my way I would often get myself into trouble. I could not see past the problem that was right in front of me and I would feel absolutely overwhelmed. Now that I have a beautiful relationship with my Heavenly Father, when trials come my way they are no longer the main focus of my thoughts. I know that I can look to my Heavenly Father for guidance and direction and He always comes through for me.
Sometimes we, as Christians, can find that we have wandered off the path, but as soon as we realize we have lost our way and ask our Heavenly Father for help He gently and lovingly guides us back to the path. Sometimes you can start off by making one wrong move or bad decision which then leads to another wrong move or bad decision and before you know it you are in trouble way over your head just like the tall grass Duke gets lost in. So much so that you cannot imagine how you are ever going to get through it. That is when you need to realize that you were in the driver's seat again and you need to let God take over and steer you back in the right direciton. Duke would wander off the path, rub shoulders with the blades of grass and end up lost. This represents temptation. Something you know is wrong but looks so enticing. You begin to convince yourself that just this once won't hurt or just a little bit won't hurt and before you know it you have wandered off the path. The thistles in the tall grass which Duke encounters represent sin and temptation which try to ensnare us. The mosquitoes Duke encounters when he wanders off the path represent satan and his evil plans to suck the life and joy out of you.
Matthew 7:13,14 (NIV)
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Proverbs 4:11 (New Century Version)
I am guiding you in the way of wisdom, and I am leading you on the right path.
