Perfect Day for a Walk

The past couple of years have left me a bit out of shape. So, in an effort to acclimate to our old normal, I've taken up walking again. Today was a perfect day: sunshine, a light wind, and temperatures in the low forties. Perfect! I decided to take Tinkerbell who has also been on a bit of a hiatus. She kept pace with me pretty well -- up until the second half. I slowed it down a bit for her and tried to stick to the grass in case the pads on her paws had grown soft and the sidewalk was too much for her. We neared a field, and I considered cutting across, shortening our walk by a few feet, but her old joints would feel the strain of the uneven ground. We moved to the sidewalk. A bit tougher on her feet, perhaps, but easier on the body. Just as we hit our stride, I saw something glistening in the sunlight up ahead. Broken glass. The sidewalk was littered with it, so I moved Tinkerbell back to the grass, only to realize it was in the grass as well. We took to the street. Cars cruised by at a safe distance, and we finished our walk in pretty good time for two old girls.

So, why the wearisome play-by-play? Well, it occurred to me as we walked, just how trusting our faithful friend is. She and I walked this route everyday for years; she knew it forwards and backwards. But despite today's obstacles, despite a number of changes, from sidewalk to street to field, she was completely unaffected. Not once did she pull or cross paths with me. Not once did she attempt to take the route we'd always taken or remain where it seemed most suitable. She simply stayed near me. She followed my lead from start to finish whether we moved from the presumed safety of the sidewalk or to the comfort of the grass. Even when I led her into the street, the potential danger of passing cars never phased her. She knows I would never put her in harm's way. All of that, of course, caused me to think about the way our Heavenly Father leads us. And, how we follow.

Someone recently put it this way, "We can see down the street. God sees around the corner." We have a limited ability to spot danger, and even less of an ability to stop it. God, however, knows what's up ahead. He sometimes takes us from an area that seems comfortable and safe, like the grass, into a place known for danger, like the street. We can't always see the danger, or the plan, or the logic behind the plan, but we do have a choice. We can tug and pull, get upset and try to go our own way, or we can follow His lead. We can trust that, even though we've been down this road many times before, we can't always see what waits for us on this part of the journey. We can look for shortcuts, or know that sometimes we need some conditioning in the wilderness before we get to go Home. We can believe that God is still in control and He is still watching out for us, or we can lie down and refuse to go another inch (much like Tinkerbell's big-headed brother did from time to time). We can yield ourselves to the tutelage and transformation of the Holy Spirit, or we can remain firmly fixed in a rut from one day to the next. We can demand God give us a life of ease (He probably won't, but we can demand it) or we can pray for the strength to keep the pace. We can worry and fret each time the Lord takes us from the course we are on and calls us to something new, or we can relax and enjoy the walk.