It’s been a long time since I wrote anything on this blog. I recently began collaborating with some other women to write a book about being entrepreneurs and it inspired me to think about writing again. I’ve been asking God to help me to start again as I wasn’t really getting anything to share with you until today.
If you know me, you know I hate to exercise. However, I’ve been on a journey for over 3.5 years now to get healthier. I’ve reduced toxins in my life, lost weight and the last piece was to get moving. I’ve always joked that exercise is over-rated. It just gives you another year or so in a nursing home. However, I decided to change that negative thought and I signed up to walk in our local walking club sponsored by the local Y. Today was my first day.
As I was walking, I was looking around at the parking lot we were walking through and thinking about life. The first thing I quickly noticed was a bunch of goose poop everywhere. They have always had geese living around the shopping center because it has a pond feature in the front. As I pondered the situation in the parking lot, I was struck with a thought. There is going to be a lot of “poop” that gets in your way in life. You can walk through it and life gets messy. Or, you can just walk around it and keep pushing on. Thank you God for the reminder.
Then there was a big pothole in the road. I thought wow! If I weren’t paying attention, I might have fallen into that and hurt myself. Then I felt a gentle nudge…pay attention. Know where you’re going and don’t get lost down some rabbit hole. They usually waste a lot of our time and sometimes we can get hurt.
There was trash around the edges of the parking lot and my first reaction was to get angry. Then I started thinking about the ones that threw it there. Could it be that no one has ever told them not to do that? Just like someone who sins. Rather than being angry, maybe I should pray for them. So I took a minute and prayed for those who “know not what they do.”
They gave me a map to follow at the beginning of the walk but I don’t do well with maps. Thank goodness for GPS’s since I’m a realtor in a town where I didn’t always live. If I had to follow a map, I’d be broke. After I looked at it for a minute, I just decided to go my own way. In my mind if I walked for 1/2 hour, it didn’t matter if I was walking the right course or not. However, I was once again convicted. Not because I couldn’t read the map but this thought came to me. Have I been reading my Bible enough and do I understand the path God wants for me? The Bible truly is God’s tool to guide and direct my path. I need to spend more time there rather than taking my own way. It always ends best when I listen to Him instead of winging it.
I was almost done with my walk and was rounding the last building when I ran into two geese. Whoops. I guess I really was on the wrong path as they flapped their wings at me. I had gotten too close to the nest. It scared me to death. It spoke to me though.
I’ve been seeing so many things going on in our world lately. I recently thought to myself, I’m so glad I’m not raising kids in this world. However, I know that if the kids are here, God has appointed their days and has a path for them too. These geese taught me that we need to stand up for our children and grandchildren and protect them from the dangers lurking. Over the years, I tried to teach my kids that family is everything. When the world goes mad, we still have family. We should love them, fight for them and be strengthened by them.
There were times on the journey today where I was obviously going against the grain. Everyone was walking one way and I was walking the opposite direction. I stood out like a sore thumb that I obviously couldn’t read a map. The Lord reminded me that the path He puts me on may not always be the most popular but I need to keep going anyway.
I think there might have been a good reason why my friends couldn’t go with me today. God had ordained the morning for just He and I.
There are so many life lessons if we watch and wait for God to show us. I’m blessed to serve a God who calls me His daughter, I’m in His family. He gives me His Word to guide my paths and if I pay attention, He will keep me from getting myself in a mess or even getting hurt. As I headed to the car, I saw a beautiful pear tree full of blooms. I thought about how beautiful it was and then reflected on my life. No matter where I’ve been, what I’ve done…even the things I did and knew were wrong, He loves me as His child. He’ll protect me, fight for me and defend me. He makes all things beautiful.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
