He Picks The Path

One of the passages of scripture that most shapes my approach to life is from the 23rd Psalm. David wrote, "He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name sake." David is obviously a poet. I'm not, but if I'm writing it I would probably say something more like, "He picks the right path, because His reputation is on the line."

A couple weeks ago I faced a change in my jogging pattern. All summer I ran the track at Glen Burnie High School. I found it much easier than the 8th mile of the B&A Trail where I trained last summer. For one thing I think tracks give you the instant gratification of seeing exactly how far you've gone. The loop is a quarter mile and if you go around it you've gone a quarter mile. (That may be the most brilliant thought I've ever written.) On the trail there are markers every half mile. You run in a straight line one way, and eventually you turn around and go the other.

I had to change venues though when school started nearing. Athletic teams used the track in the morning before school, and once school is open it is difficult to use. So I changed back to my old training ground. At the track I had gotten up to a half mile (two laps), and when I got out on the trail the first day I realized that it was different from the track. The track is entirely level. The trail rises and falls with the lay of the land. There are no tremendous hills, but my legs can attest that the trail is not flat like the track. It took some getting used to. On the track I could pace myself really easy because I could see the goal the whole time. On the trail I run further than I can see from the start. The first time out I beat my normal pace by thirty seconds because I couldn't gauge how fast I was going. (I thought I would die when I stopped and had to catch my breath.)

Different paths train you in different ways. Tracks train distance, trails train endurance. In the 23rd Psalm David is using the metaphor of the Good Shepherd. The shepherd picks the right paths in order to care for his sheep. In our lives there are times God leads us in flat trails to train certain aspects of our life. And at other times he picks more difficult paths to train endurance, strength, or dependence on Him.

He picks the right path for you. Stay on it. Follow his lead. He cares for you. And through you His reputation is on the line.

--Ben