Paths

Life is a trip. For each of us there is only one destination. For each of us there is a path to that destination. None of us walks the exact same path. I know my destination. I do not know the path. The Navajo Reservation was not a destination. It was an area through which my path led. Being back home in Winston-Salem is not a destination. It is a continuation of my path. God will guide our feet along the path if we wish, but He will also allow us to chose to wander from His chosen path. Sometimes the paths are very steep and rocky and the effort of continuing along them is almost more than we can handle. It is often during this time that we blame God for putting us on such a difficult path and wonder why. Sometimes the path winds downhill, is tree shaded, and the birds sing for us. We are prone to pat ourselves on the back for choosing such an easy way and we forget God's involvement. If we are within God's will, often our path will touch the path of another. The best of this situation is when we join as husband and wife. Our paths are not one, but we can reach out a hand to help each other along difficult places when help is needed or we can just reach out a hand in love and companionship. Sometimes, two paths meet for such a very short time that it is possible for us to miss the opportunity to reach out a helping hand or to take a hand that is offered to us. If we are on the path that God has chosen, there is always a reason for the paths to meet. Yesterday, I was working alone in the Maple Springs pumpkin patch. A girl, probably the age of an average Wake Forest coed, stopped by. She asked a question about pricing and then wandered out into the middle of the church yard. In a couple of minutes, I noticed that she was kneeling, head bowed, and shoulders shaking with sobs. I went to her and knelt beside her (a surprise, since my knees usually won't bend that well.) I put my arm around her shoulders and asked if she wanted to tell me what was wrong. All she told me was that she had done something terrible. Her pain broke my heart and I'm positive that it broke God's heart as well. I told her that Christ would forgive anything and would never stop loving her no matter what. In a couple of minutes, she was able to get herself under control, dried her eyes, and asked me to sell her the pumpkin that she had been holding. Before she left, I gave her my email address and phone number and told her that I would like to hear from her that she was okay. I also told her that I would be glad to help arrange for her to talk to our associate pastor, Anne Elmore, if she wanted. She left me to wonder what it was that she had done so terrible and to pray that she would find peace. I didn't hear from her today and really didn't expect to. Our paths touched for only a very few minutes, but I was able to reach out a hand to help. This is God's gift to me. I pray that more opportunities will come and that I will always be aware and ready to respond as God would have me do.