Divergent Paths

Last week I took a walk at the Chattanooga River Park. Depending on the kind of activity, I will go to various locations to hike. Today I was in the mood for exercise and the Riverfront is the closet location that I frequent. 

I started walking at a brisk pace to stimulate blood flow and was not really focusing on anything other than how fast I was walking. I was really unaware of anything that was going on around me.

I wanted to work up a good sweat, stimulate a good energy flow, and work out some toxins that had built in my blood stream. That was my goal and that was the way the day started out.

Everything changed about ¾ of a mile into my walk. I suddenly had this urge to turn left and walk off into the field. What prompted me to do this was beyond me and in the moment I was unsure of the reason. It did not take me long to make the decision because I figured there was some purpose and I followed my heart. I turned left and trudged off through the grass. As I circumnavigated the field, I became aware of the hot sun. I was no longer in the shade, and I began to feel and absorb the energy the heat offered. I begin to sweat and since this was one of my goals, I was at the very least still on task with my plan. I saw some side trails that looked promising but they quickly led to dead ends in the woods. I came across a large stagnate pond that few people would know about. I saw a myriad sample of insects and critters, which at the moment were not altogether interesting. I was beginning to find myself uncertain of the purpose behind the nudge. I began to wonder if this was a lesson in learning when my discernment is correct. If that were true, I was still out for the exercise and I had committed to this adventure. So I boldly trudged ahead.

I came across some train tracks in a wooded area and knowing they went in the general direction that I wanted to go, I followed. Still nothing big on the horizon.

I love trains and as I walked I began to anticipate a train coming and I would be offered the opportunity to feel the rumble of a powerful locomotive and feel the breeze as it passed. That did not happen. I was still content with the exercise but the unfulfilled expectation led to a brief moment of disappointment. I had to gather my thoughts and continue on. The path was really no different than the one I had begun to follow anyway. It was going to take longer to get where I was going but I was out for the exercise.

I kept thinking I was on a mild adventure, different than what I expected and I kept looking for the answer to my riddle. What did all this mean and was it going to have any meaning in my life? Every time I came up with an answer I was disappointed.  So I stopped thinking about the purpose of the divergent nudge and went back to my exercise, of which I was getting a heavy dose.

It was then that I stumbled upon a switch box on the track. Suddenly I began to realize that yes God did divert me here for a reason. Still had no answer, but now I was OK with not knowing. Now I knew I was here for a reason.  With renewed excitement I trudged forward. Now I was deeply curious. I did not really care what the outcome was going to be because I knew God had a plan. I was excited about finding out, and I had no reason to figure it all out.

As I rounded the bend I saw the cross point where the train track crossed the Riverpark sidewalk. I had reached the proverbial end of the line. I saw a fence, blocking any further progress along the track. Beyond the fence there were lines of tanker cars waiting to load their products from a chemical plant. There were warning signs posted and the area looked very foreboding. I knew better than to cross the fence so I turned on to the path I had started on and continued on my walk. I smiled as I realized that I had learned my own lesson.

I thought seriously about leaving the reader to decipher the lesson themselves. It was what Jesus did with some of the parables. But that did not go over so well and I am not Jesus. In this light, I will share part of this lesson. Some may see it but I will let you in on my lesson. Who knows, there might be a different moral in it for you.

The desire to follow the nudge seemed clear to me. There was a time I would have not understood that push as a nudge. In faith and curiosity I began a journey into the unknown. I started to have doubts that I really had had a Spiritual push and started to become disappointed in where I was headed. I decided that no matter what happened I was still following my original plan until God stepped in and encouraged me to see that it was going to be bigger than I had expected.

The switch box was small and it required very little energy. There was only 3 inches of play in the tracks and this was enough to turn a multi-ton freight train in a different direction. Over the course of my life and with all the bad decisions, I realized that God required very little energy to direct me in another direction. I was he one resistant to Him. I was the multi-ton locomotive. God’s nudges had always been very subtle pushes. Today, I am more receptive to it and more willing to follow the path He wants me to follow.

Because I am more receptive I am allowed a glimpse of the incredible life He has for me. I am more curious and have a greater passion for what he is calling me to do. I no longer want all the answers. I just want to be on the walk.

Even on a path chosen for us there is danger we can face. We are sometimes led off course by distractions that look very tempting. When I arrived at the cross road. There was a barrier that prevented me from going any further into that danger. I had the choice to climb the fence and ignore the warning signs and in the past I would have driven to the spot because I knew there was danger to be found. Today, I realized I was on a different path and I wanted to stay on it.  So I walked safely into adventure with God as my companion and I received a wonderful blessing.