Walks on mountain roads, winding and meandering to the top of the mountain are peaceful and enjoyable. Taking in the beautiful scenery can help usher in the presence of God and can place us in awe of His majestic creation. The detail of color, texture and formation He breathed into the earth is truly incredible.
The bend appears suddenly
Recently on one of these walks, I noticed how suddenly a bend in road appears. You have your eyes on reaching the top of the mountain but the path is not direct nor short. A sudden bend with increased depth of slope causes one to take a breath as the path seems harder in that moment.
One becomes more aware of their breath as it labors harder on this inclined section of the journey. In a moment, one begins to adjust their pace on the journey to be more focused, and more intent, and the small steps toward the top of the mountain become the key to reaching the destination.
The bend is a journey
I think this is how our spiritual journey looks at times. We are excited about the journey and the ultimate destination so we look for shorter paths. When we hit obstacles or distractions on our path, we must press into God. This helps us get to our next step in sync with what He is showing us along the way. Something that seems to slow us down and keep us from our destination can be part of an amazing journey that God has planned. The slowing down causes us to take in more in that moment than we would have otherwise.
Embrace the bend
The bend in the road can be a holy place, not appreciated as one approaches, but strengthened for pressing through.
