LESSON FROM TEH WELL-BEATEN PATH


LESSONS FROM THE WELL-BEATEN PATH             

                Lasts evening on my final walk with Desi, I stopped short of the mailbox by 20 feet and turned to start back to the house. I had things I needed to do and I wanted to head back, but Desi would have nothing to do with it. He stopped and planted his feet and he looked at me with scorn… SCORN!!! I tell you.  His stern gaze almost caused me to repent of my earlier accolades about his unconditional love and all of that other doggie stuff.

                Desi likes to go all the way to the mail box (which in our case is about a quarter mile away from the house.) But for him there can be no exceptions, for even though he has saluted many objects along the road, he simply MUST salute the mailbox post BEFORE we turn and go back to the house… thank you very much. And so I turned around reluctantly and took him the extra 20 feet to the mail box where he performed his well-rehearsed ritual and then we headed back to the house… he proud and I humbled.

                I’m sure that God has the same problems with us at times. We get into a routine. We want to salute the same post every day until we make a religion out of it. And once we have made a religion out of it God help the man who tries to change our routine. We may even look at God with scorn saying to Him, “You can’t do that! You are the same yesterday, today and forever.”

                But God may answer back. “It is not I that changed… it is you. You once loved Me and trusted Me and followed Me wherever I led you. We talked and laughed about everything. You looked eagerly for each new adventure I took you on.  You took My hand when storms came. You found shelter in My arms when the wind blew and thunder rolled. Now you only follow your routine, you salute the same post every day. You try to chase the cars from which I once protected you.  You brace yourself against any turn that is unexpected.  It is as though you could take your walk without Me. Have you lost your first love?

                We don’t like change and so we feign to corner God with His own words. But the truth is it is not God who has changed.  He has always called people out… out of Babylon… out of Egypt, out of darkness and into light… and when our routine becomes so predictable that we no longer sense our need of Him… He will call us out again.

                The well-beaten path is the path that the saints and Pilgrims, patriarchs and the prophets have trodden before us. It is the path of faith. It leads over high steep mountains and low dark valleys. It is by no means a freeway. It leads us to unexpected places, because above all, our heavenly Father wants us to trust Him more than we trust our routines.

               

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