Just Keep Walking #405
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Just Keep Walking #405
Have you ever walked far enough into the woods that you could no longer see where the trail was taking you, let alone where you started?
I have, and I remembered it at a retreat led by Teresa McCoy, founder of The Real Life Process. We were asked to walk around the room and choose a picture that resonated with us. Among the many pictures scattered around the room, one grabbed my attention. There was no mountaintop view or beautiful destination in the distance. Just a narrow dirt trail covered with leaves, roots, and rocks leading around a bend.
Teresa said, “Look at the picture. What is God saying to you, or what is your heart saying to Him?” I wrote, "Right now, Lord, I feel that I am walking through the woods on a bumpy dirt trail alone, with no destination in sight. I don’t know what’s around the bend. It's tearing me apart because I don't know where I'm going or if it's even the right path at all."
That's when I felt God reminding me of something I desperately needed to hear:
"Steve, keep walking. Even when it gets muddy or when it's uphill. I'm ahead of you, behind you, and with you. Just keep walking." That reassurance changed my view of the trail.
I’d imagine you’ve felt like you’re on the trail too at times. Not necessarily through the woods, but through a season where you thought by now you would have an answer. Or you expected the path to become clearer, the destination to arrive sooner, but instead, the trail kept winding through the trees, leaving you wondering, Am I even going in the right direction?
Sadly, many people quit walking because they can't see what's around the bend. But faith keeps us walking without knowing what waits on the other side. If you feel like there’s no end in sight, trust that the Shepherd knows exactly where you are. He hears you from the thickest part of the woods. He sees you when you can't see Him. He guides you when you don’t know where the trail is leading.
Trust what Jesus said: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) Notice He didn't promise we would always see the entire trail. He said that if we follow Him, we don't have to walk in darkness. Paul reminds us, "for we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)
I know it’s hard, but there’s light. Just keep walking, keep going, and keep climbing, and don't become so consumed with the destination that you miss what God is showing you along the trail. Embrace the quiet that separates you from the noise, like the stress and worry you've carried for too long. Believe that God is doing something in you on the trail.
Then when you come out of the woods, don't forget the trail so you can carry the light of Christ to someone else who can't see around their bend. It’s your testimony that can remind them the Shepherd is walking with them too. That may be what they desperately need to hear.
You don't have to see the destination today, but you can keep walking.
You're ready to keep walking towards your legacy, so visit lighthouselegacies.com, and I’ll walk with you. Also, listen to The Living Your Legacy Podcast. Click here to order the 40 Days To Live Your Legacy devotional on Amazon.
