When You Can no Longer See the Path

Hiking one of the trails, in the Natchez Trace State Park, can be challenging. It’s not that the trails are too long or too steep. The problem is that you can easily lose the path. Natchez Trace has been almost swallowed up by Kudzu. Kudzu is a vine that was brought to TN, from Japan, with the idea that it could help prevent erosion. Its root system was too shallow to accomplish the intended goal. Kudzu proved to be a real problem for the state. It grows about 12”/day. It will grow up a tree and totally cover a forest quickly. When hiking, one has to be careful not to get one’s feet caught in the vines. Because of its invasive growth, the vines can cover trails more quickly than the park service can clear them.

On a recent visit, my husband and I were going for a short hike, just about a mile, through the forest. We came upon several spots in which we could no longer see the path. Blue paint, on tree trunks, is used to provide markers for hikers. Unfortunately, the kudzu climbs the trees, quickly covering up the markers. When we could no longer see the path, my husband reached up to pull down vines from trees, searching for blue paint. I stopped, not wanting to get caught in vines, until he figured out the way we should go. He found the way without too much trouble, but he had gotten ahead of me. I could no longer see him, but he called my name and I followed the sound of his voice. It presented a spiritual metaphor in my mind.

What do you do when you can no longer see the path you thought your life was taking? You had plans, but obstacles have gotten in the way. You thought you had your life mapped out; the way was clear in your mind. Then, the path became obstructed. It was no longer visible. Where do you go next? You can’t see the next marker.

“Faith is the substance of things not seen, the evidence of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). When you can’t see the step in front of you, do you throw up your hands and give up? Do you turn around, and go back to the familiar? If you can see the path clearly, faith is not required. If faith is not required, that suggests that you’re not going to achieve anything except that which you can control. Do you really want such limitations on your life? Do you want to be fearful of taking a step forward, because you don’t know where it will lead? If so, you won’t achieve anything with eternal value. Do you expect to experience God’s blessings for work that you do under your own power?

What do you want your legacy to be? Your children are likely to follow your model for living. Do you want them to see how far they can travel a path of their own making, or do you want them to step out in faith, listening for God’s call? If you are a believer, I imagine you want them to follow Him even when they can’t see where He’s taking them. So, what are you doing now, to prepare them to listen for the voice of God?