Trusted Walk

"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal."  (NIV)  Isaiah 26:4

A couple of weeks ago we had beautiful snow come to the ground.  The snow was followed with a shot of quick warmer weather, melting the top of the snow to ice.  As the sun shimmers off of it, I couldn't help but take a picture of its beauty.  It looked like glass and was just an awesome sight.

The best part though, was watching our dog, Duke, on this layer of ice.  He walked around our backyard, sniffing and watching the birds around him.  I noticed, though, that as he walked, he walked in trust.  Me?  I would have been "tip toeing" my way around the yard, afraid that I was going to make a fateful step that would have landed me on my behind.  Not Duke, he walked (and at times ran) with the trust that he would not fall.  It was pretty amazing to watch.

What I learned last Sunday afternoon is that many times, I wish I had the trusted walk that Duke had. He stepped out in faith that nothing was going to stop him from going where he wanted to go.  I know I have places that I want to go, in faith, but there are many times that I am afraid, unsure, of where those places will take me.  Can you recognize some of this in yourself?  Are there times when you would like to move forward to a different place and are afraid of taking that walk?  

There are many things I would like to do, in faith, in life.  I want to move forward in sharing God's word with others, furthering the wonderful message of our Lord.  Maybe a book, maybe a workshop, maybe speaking.  But taking that first step is a hard one.  What if, I don't know enough?l?  What if, people laugh at me?  What if I'm not good at this?  What if this isn't what God wants me to do?  What if????  

As we know, we can "what if" ourselves to death.  I know I have - it took me a long time to decide to write this blog on a regular basis.  What I DO know is that when we take that walk with God at our side, we can trust that the path that is ahead of us is being walked with our very best friend - a friend who listens to each of our concerns, sees our doubts, hears our worries, and loves us to pieces.  When we go to God FIRST before venturing out on the "ice", He will help to show us the way.  The walk ahead of us may be a difficult one.  Maybe you are looking for a new career, a new relationship, a new hobby, new friends, etc?  Maybe you are also thinking about a path with God.  

Whatever walk you are looking to take, please know that when we walk, in trust, with our Lord, He will always provide.  He will give us the strength we need to go "sniffing" for good things and "watching" for the beautiful birds around us.  He will guide us, direct us, be our BEST friend, and love us.  Has something been weighing on your heart?  Stop, drop to your knees, and pray.  Pray for guidance, pray for assurance, pray for love.  With a bit of simple faith, we can take that trusted walk that God wants us to.  May the year ahead bring many walks of trust with our Lord.

"Dearest Lord, as we take this journey of life, there are many times when we might be afraid to 'walk on the ice'.  Things before us may seem uncertain - they may seem difficult - they may seem unsure.  We ask that we have the certainty of knowing that you are always there for us.  May we go to you, ask for your guidance, so that we can walk in trust to those things in front of us.  Thank you, Jesus, for being our best friend and loving us unconditionally.  In your gracious name we pray, AMEN!"