Yard Work

A couple of days ago, I was out working in the yard.  It was a beautiful warm, fall evening.  The darkening shadows of twilight gave way to deeper hues of nightfall as I pushed my wheelbarrow load of weeds and brush across the street to the common dump area. 

It was remarkable how far I could see off into the distance.  The rising moonbeams highlighted the treetops and the delicate silhouette of the landscape.  I was familiar with the pathway, having traveled it countless numbers of times.  The problem was that I kept tripping because I couldn’t see where the well-worn path was.  I had to continue my journey more on faith than on a secure knowledge.  

Following the light of Christ typically works in an opposite fashion.  It will illuminate our next step with perfect clarity, but the surrounding territory is typically a bit dark.  Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Studying God’s Word will generally show us where to place one foot at a time, but it does not make us surveyors of the whole territory.  We must proceed on faith.  But at some point, every human being must define exactly what it is that they have faith in. 

The difference between a system of religion and following Christ is that Jesus conveyed a different approach.  He refused to define a set of external rules which His followers would then abide by with a smug sense of religious self-righteousness.  Instead, he offered a personal relationship based on unconditional love, acceptance, and grace.  Jesus didn’t care what you looked like on the outside, but he cared deeply about who you were on the inside. 

Russian philosopher Leo Tolstoy wrote in his book The Kingdom of God is Within You: “A person who professes the teaching of Christ is like one who carries a lantern before him on a pole.  The light is in front of him, always lighting up fresh ground and encouraging him to walk further.”  

Christ is the light that allows us to see, even in the darkest of circumstances.  There are many plans and systems in our multicultural society that promote “peace and harmony.”  But when we trip over the tangled roots of superficial philosophies and false values, Christ will be there to forgive and help us back on our feet again – if we just ask Him to. 

The more we study God’s Word, the less treacherous the path becomes, and the less forbidding is the darkness through which we walk.  But the journey to get rid of the weeds that can overtake our lives will only happen through hesitant, yet forward steps of faith. 

My prayer this week is for all of us who are trying to figure out our next steps.   Sometimes our journey is certain.  Sometimes it is uncertain.  The joy is in taking our journey through life one step at a time.