Spiritual Orienteering

I went hiking yesterday. Other than the trail being a bit muddy it was a gorgeous day to do so. At one point I followed a small deer path up from the main trail. It lead up towards the top of a hill and I was hoping for a great view. It was long though before the path started to fade. I would lose it for a few feet before I found it again. Then eventually the path was completely gone.

I was near the top of the hill now so I figured I could just cut straight up the side without any problems. So I took note of a fallen tree where I was leaving the path and headed uphill. After a while though I realized that the trees were too thick and there wouldn't be much of a view at the top. So I decided to head back down. Except when I turned around I couldn't find the fallen tree anywhere. I started back towards where I thought it was but I still couldn't find it and there was nothing resembling the trail anywhere to be found.

After another couple minutes trudging through the brambles it was official, I was lost. Thankfully there was a couple of guide points that could help me find my way. I could hear the creek and I knew that that was to the west, and that the road was just a bit further west of the creek. So I headed west. Sure enough it wasn't long before I found the creek, although a much different part of the creek than I was expecting to find. I found a shallow point to cross the creek and sure enough the road wasn't far beyond.

Sometimes in our spiritual lives we can lose our way as well. At times it feels like the path God has for us is overgrown and impossible to find. But what do we do then? Do we sit down and accept our fate? Or do we find those guide points that will always help us find our way? While we may not take every step exactly where He had planned at least we'll be moving in the right direction.

What are your guide points? They could be anything that keeps you heading towards God; Church, Scripture, family, prayer... Whatever they may be the more you have the truer your direction will be.