The Narrow Path

This morning I took my dog Jules, for a walk on a favorite trail before it became too hot to enjoy with a forecast of 92 degrees. We headed down the shady trail through the woods along a windy creek and Jules ran excitedly ahead, her innate hunting skills kicking in to find any small game nearby. I was enjoying the gentle breeze and quietness of the walk, watching my dog dart in and out of the trees and up and down the embankment with great speed and agility. We had gone at least a mile down the trail when I felt sure she must be thirsty as I came near an opening in the wooded area leading down a hill towards another creek. It invited a thirsty canine to drink despite the high grass and weeds. As I headed down the sloped, uneven ground watching my footing, Jules noticed I had veered off the path and responded to my call to come. I imagined she would be glad to quench her thirst. However, no sooner had she ventured halfway down the slope ahead of me, she turned around abruptly and darted back up the hill biting herself as she ran by me, visibly shaken by an unseen force. That is, until I stepped where she must have and suddenly felt a stinging sensation around my ankles causing me to turn and high tale it up the hill as well. I had seen the invisible force that had attacked her and now me. Yellow jackets! I immediately assessed the damage not giving mind to Jules in the moment as the stinging pain intensified. Looking down at my ankles there was still a yellow jacket caught in my sock I swatted away. There appeared to be at least three areas I had been stung and thankfully, only on my leg and ankles. 

I chided myself for going off the path and knowing better. I should've listened to my intuition but the creek had invited me, making me believe how satisfying to drink it would be for Jules despite the fact there was another place further down the trail where she could've had easier access to drink from it without veering off course. I'm reminded how similar it is for Christians to veer from the narrow path of the Master. We get tempted by worldly things that seemingly call to us to come explore. Satan's temptations haven't changed since the days in the Garden. He still invites us to do things that God has clearly warned us NOT to do because He knows the consequences are harmful to us. It's not that the fruit from the tree was bad because God created it. It's not that some things in the world are inherently evil but God says, "No!" to what will lead us away from the narrow path. He knows that we will get hurt and sin separates us from Him. The creek itself wasn't bad but if I had listened to God when I felt in my spirit not to go down there, Jules and I would have been spared from pain! We need to listen to God's Holy Spirit and obey. It is for our own good and protection. He has a way that is right for us, a path set before us to travel. He will guide us along the way but we must not veer to the right or to the left.

God tells us the way to go through His word, the Bible. Psalm 119:105 says, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. If we read His word daily, we will learn to hear His still small voice when we are straying in the wrong direction. We will still make mistakes as I did today, but He will guide us back on the straight and narrow way as we repent of our sin in humility and godly sorrow. The greatest danger is to NOT get back on the path He has shown us. When we go any other way but God's narrow path and veer off course, it will lead to great harm and eventually spiritual death if we continue on it.