Where He Leads, I Will Go...

Last night, in the wee hours of the morning, I was listening to the catastrophic storm outside my window. It was a little unnerving to realize nothing but some nails and wood were between me and that lightening!

Thinking is a wonderful thing to do when you don't normally do it. Like during a thunderstorm at 4 am. So I started to think. About deep things, you know, such as life. I pondered what would be next, the path I was taking, and what I needed to do. Quickly I was becoming rather mixed up and as uncertain as the thunder outside.

When all of a sudden, I remembered Silver Delight.

Go with me back in time about six years ago, on a warm summer day at a church camping trip. Lauren and I were together for the weekend. For a whole weekend we rode our bikes, toasted marshmallows, played with little kids, caught fireflies, sangs songs, and had fun.

But even all that could get a little old. Because, well, the two of us have always had a zeal for adventure. And that afternoon in particular we were itching for it. If I remember correctly, we had been playing with some of the kids in a little grove of trees. We dubbed one tree a Wishing Tree, where wishes really did come true. (Well, we made it happen, anyway.)

Slowly, we wandered away from the children and began to venture into a woods nearby.

It was stunning. An old country lane wound through shimmering trees, and tall lush grass brushed against our feet. Because every place needs a name, we named it. We walked and walked, and slowly the path became narrower, but became only more poetic and lovely. When we thought for sure we'd be lost forever and have to sleep in the forest for the night (or at least I was hoping!) we emerged from the woods into a field of Queen Anne's Lace, the campground out in the distance. We got back to the camper safely, only hot and sweaty and no one had even missed us. We, however, had a memory tucked away which delighted us very much.

I must admit, there are times when it feels that the path I'm taking in life is so strange and different from what it the world around me says it ought to be. I think that is why God reminded me of Silver Delight. Through the world's eyes our path is strange, awkward, odd, different, and unrealistic. But to Christ? It is beautiful. His path is sacred, hidden, and precious. It is stunning, much like Silver Delight.

A few days ago Lauren and I were walking down the Magnificent Mile in Chicago. And so were hundreds and hundreds of other people. The road was paved and flat and and well-worn. Dozens upon dozens of shops and restaurants glared and beckoned, "Come over here!" In all its glory, Michigan Avenue had little of the appeal that Silver Delight had.

Friends, do you see the difference? One leads to life, and the other leads to death. Which one are you on?

Ponder the path of thy feet, and all thy ways will be established. Proverbs 4:26