May is here and I am looking for all the flowers. As the saying goes April showers bring May flowers. After the storms that happen in life I am always looking for the flowers. I know they are there; I just sometimes have to keep looking.
I was recently coming down to the last section of my three mile run and toward the end of it I always have a choice – I can continue to run down south Grand toward home or I can turn right on Arsenal and cut my run short by a least a quarter of a mile. The second option has a lot less foot traffic so choosing Arsenal is always a safer route as well. I usually choose the path of least resistance at the end of my run, so I usually turn right to head toward home. But on this particular morning I knew if I continued down Grand I might get a glimpse of Maria going to work. As I approached the fork in the road, so to speak , I made my choice, I continued south on Grand looking for Maria. I knew there would be more traffic on the side walk and sure enough just a few blocks into the longer route on Grand here came three kids on their bikes moving as fast as they could as if they were in some kind of a race. The lead biker didn’t even notice he was coming right at me because he was peddling as fast as he could looking back at the other two trying to catch up with him. He would have hit me straight on but fortunately for me, my cat like reflexes kick in and I side step him like a star running back in the NFL on his way to the end zone. The other two bikers, seeing how close their friend came to hitting me didn’t slow down a bit but kept coming at me full speed ahead! I felt like the ice berg the night the Titanic came at it full steam ahead. I manage to avoid them as well and continue my run still looking for just a glimpse of Maria on her way to work. That’s when God spoke to my heart and asked me, “Are you willing to choose the longer path, the harder path, the more dangerous path, the one with the most resistance to catch a glimpse of me?” I had to admit that many times I had chosen the path of least resistance in my Christian walk. I had taken the easy way out and had exchanged a chance to have a real encounter with God for a religious experience. Many times it is the difficult path that leads to the higher calling. We all want the mountain top experiences but we don’t want to climb the mountain to get it. I think of Abram when he set off for his walk of faith, not knowing where he was going only that the one who he called his God was calling him to leave his home for another one. How about you today? What path are you taking? In this life we have choices every day, from what we will wear to what we will eat for breakfast. I am praying that we at Zion will never choose the path of least resistance or settle just to be normal Christians. May we choose to walk the path of faith and no matter the danger, or the hardships we will choose to go the distance just to get a glimpse of our Savior and His glory! As I began to walk up the stairs to our house, tired from the run, I realized that even though I did not see Maria on her way to work I had gotten just a little glimpse of my Savior, and that moment I recommitted my life to follow him even down the path of most resistance! To Him, the only wise God be glory for evermore!
On the path looking for Him, Pastor Rick