I had the pleasure of hiking in the mountains of Colorado this past weekend. The weather was cool, the foliage was dense and green, there weren’t many bugs, and the environment was serene and peaceful.
When my friend and I set off on the trail, our goal was to reach the top and view the waterfall just a few miles in. As the path stretched out before us, it became very apparent that we needed to keep our eyes on the trail and not gaze up into the trees and watch the birds. The gnarly tree roots, sharp and slippery rocks, and ankle-high ant piles made the trek somewhat treacherous if we weren’t paying close attention. I soon found myself staring at my feet instead of enjoying the nature around me.
While there are certainly times, like during our walk, where it is important to be careful and watch your step, we also need to take a minute to stop, take a look around, and regain our bearings. Our periodic stops allowed us to catch our breath as we took in the majestic mountain surroundings. If we hadn’t, we not only would have missed experiencing the grandeur of nature, but we could also have wandered off the trail. There were a lot of twists and turns and several of those paths wouldn’t have led us where we wanted to go!
Have you ever been so focused on what is in front of you that you fail to notice if you’ve veered off course? By the time you stopped to catch your breath, you realized you were far from where you thought you were going? Yep, me too! Not only did I veer off track by being overly focused, but I also missed the beauty of everything going on around me.
We were able to reach the waterfall and enjoyed feeling the cool mist on our faces as we watched in awe. Once again, we needed to tread carefully on the slippery rocks, but this time, I was certain to stop more often to look up and take it all in. We were on the brink of nature’s magnificence, and we were not going to miss a second of it!
Do you want to have a better balance between watching your step and taking it all in? Do you trust that God will direct your path and broaden your horizons at the same time? We need only ask Him to lead us and then follow as He leads!
Be blessed,
Jennifer
“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:5