Many blessings came to me this past week. Spring blessings bring joy. Other seasons have joy found in them, but it always seems that spring is just more joyous as the world wakes up from winter. The birds sound happier. The spring peeper frogs sing with joyous peeping and our kitties are so glad to not have snow greet them when they step outdoors. Finding the first spring flower gives me so much hope and joy. All are signs of new life—and a New Life with Jesus each day.
I love the many colors of green each spring as plants and trees begin to wake up and turn to green—each plant with their own version of spring green. Some trees start to turn green faster than others and some seem as if they don't want to show they are still alive. This year I especially love the bright fresh greens after the dry brown colors that we had from last year's dryness. I love to touch the new bright green growth on spruce trees when new spring needles on each branch tip begin to show. One of my pleasures when I am mowing the lawn is to "pet" those new bright green growth buds on each branch. They are so soft and not prickly like the old growth branches. They are like people. The young are soft and pliable while the older people often get prickly and bristly. How much nicer to be soft and nice to be around. God wants me to be inviting to those who approach me. He does not want me to represent Him with prickliness and bristly attitudes.
There were other blessings this week. One of my favorite trees in spring bloom is the Redbud tree, and we had perfect timing to see them blooming several times this spring. This is the week every year that we are greeted with some of the first spring flowers. While we often wait for the first dandelion to know spring is here, I watch to see the first cowslip/marsh marigold appear in our roadside ditch. That is when we know to go visit a favorite place to see a large cowslip garden in a wet area nestled in some northeast Iowa woods. I never cease to marvel at its beauty. On this year’s visit, other nearby flowers also got my attention, and I took a short walk to go see them closer. I saw several that surprised me and found a small stream of water falling away from a spring that I enjoyed along with the trickling sound of the water. All blessings provided to me. I came away blessed, only later to discover my short walk touched me with evil when I wasn't noticing. I found an embedded tick. Isn't that just like Satan—he hides his evilness from us and slips it in when we least expect it. We have to be on alert at all times.
God keeps blessings coming to us continuously. As troublesome as deer are at times, I enjoy seeing them. This week we spotted them running through some trees that grow on a small dam near our home. That was fun! Then I spotted some of their tracks running through our tilled garden area. Possible trouble ahead if they stay in our area when we want our garden plants for ourselves and do not want to share with them.
Have you tried to get to a destination and then got confused as to how to get there? We had that happen this week. We wanted to revisit a place where we sometimes take an excursion. We do it often enough to "know how to get" there. This week we wanted to visit it again. We turned onto the road we thought was right. But soon things did not seem right. The road had to be right (in our opinion)! So we continued driving. Still, we couldn't understand why nothing looked familiar. All the while, we kept thinking we knew the way—to Motor Mill for those curious. We were so confused as to why the road must have been changed. We were so confused why our local place of interest was not as we expected so-----I did a google map search! Google maps showed us how to get to our destination from where we were, but it showed us how to get there that was nothing like we expected, and it certainly led us on a way that we had NEVER traveled before. There was nothing we recognized, no familiar landmarks. We followed the directions given to us by google even though it didn't seem right. We followed with misgivings and confusion. The good thing was I got to enjoy traveling on roads I had never been on before—one of my favorite things to do! And finally, off in the distance I spotted things familiar to us. We followed the directions, and we arrived! The unknown way to us was the right way after all. A way that was right! But not the only right way. After our arrival, we could see how we had not been able to see familiar landmarks. Our problem was we had started our excursion in the wrong place and on the wrong road. A place that seemed right to us but was not the normal starting place. To start where we did was not what we normally do and it confused us. Going away from Motor Mill we were able to figure out our mistake and realize what we had done wrong. Do you suppose that from now on we will remember to start in the right place next time?
We did learn some lessons. Lessons we can apply to more than how to get to Motor Mill. There is more than one way to get to a destination!! The way you take is different from the way I take to get there. You want to go your way and I will go my way. That doesn’t make either of us wrong. We all make different choices. That is how God designed us. We have choices! There is a saying that all roads lead to home or Rome. The saying "all roads lead to Rome" means that there are many different ways to achieve the same goal. It suggests that regardless of the path you choose, you will eventually reach your desired outcome. The phrase originates from the vast network of roads built by the Romans, all of which converged on Rome, the capital of their empire. When our boys were in college and often traveled home alone and in all kinds of weather, we emphatically told them that there was only one way to travel home for them. We did not want them deviating from the path we wanted them to travel. We had heard stories of families not knowing where to search for missing family because they had taken a route not expected on a trip, with disastrous endings. While there is more than one way to get to a destination it is better to travel the correct way and with God as your travel guide. We found out that the first way we traveled took much longer than if we had started right at first. Yes, we arrived but it took longer, confused us, took more gas/money to go the way we did. It would have been better if we had started out right. This story leads me to ask another question. We are all on a journey, a trip with the destination Heaven. We think we know the way to heaven, but do we? Do we get started wrong and sometimes get confused? Do we criticize others because they aren't traveling the same road we are on and think surely they have strayed away and will never arrive? Could it me that strayed off the correct path? Am I critical of others' journeys? There is more than one way to get to heaven. It might take me a more roundabout way that isn't your way but if I ask for help ("google God") in prayer, He will make sure I get the help I need. I will need to follow His guidance and not get off the path He directs me to. But my path and experience will not be your path and experience. Let's make sure that we are on the right path for ourselves even though my path looks different from yours. Let's make sure we are following the directions from God that we are shown that will be best for me and for you.
This week I was told I needed to learn how to walk! What a startling command for a person as many years old as I am! Because of more than two years of pain both from knees and from hip, apparently, I shifted in how I walk and could no longer walk normally. The shift that I did became my way to walk—my way! It became a habit. It caused even more pain, my back hurt me so badly within a few minutes of trying to stand. I shuffled, limped, penguin walked, and flat footed it. All to prevent even more pain than I already was having. Good habits are hard to get established. Bad habits are even harder to get unestablished. I have learned how to walk wrongly. Now I have to learn again how to walk correctly. I have practiced the correct walking method. I can do it. But doing it all the time hasn't become a habit yet. I have to think and concentrate on the correct way to walk for each step I take and that is hard. I can't always remember to concentrate. I stand and move, often still in the same wrong way to walk. I have many days of concentrating on walking ahead of me before walking right becomes my normal way of walking again. I must think about each individual step I take. Walking right can also mean walking with God, or walking in His will, and it involves developing a close relationship with Him through prayer, scripture study, and seeking His guidance in daily life. It's a process of making my thoughts, actions, and choices match with His character and teachings. I must think about each of my actions, each one individually and decide whether it is a right step for me or not.
There are some key steps for me/you in learning to walk with God:
Develop and cultivate a personal relationship with God through prayer, Bible study, and seeking his guidance in daily decisions.
Renew your mind by replacing negative thoughts and beliefs with God's truth, as found in the Bible.
Be humble and acknowledge your dependence on God and seek his wisdom and guidance in all areas of your life.
Have faith and trust in God's plan and his promises, even when you don't understand his ways.
Discover your purpose and recognize your unique gifts and talents and use them to serve God and others.
Regularly pray for guidance and ask God to lead you in the right direction.
Try hard to obey God's commands and principles, even when it's difficult.
Forgive others, as God has forgiven you, and cultivate a spirit of love and compassion.
Use your time and talents to serve and help those in need.
Share the good news of Jesus with others and encourage them to follow him.
By practicing these steps, you can gradually develop a closer relationship with God and walk in a way that pleases him. I am pretty sure that I need to do better in several of those steps.
Why is my walk with God so hard? It is a difficult path because we will be for sure tempted by the devil, tempted by the world, tempted by those closest to us, and tempted by our own human passions and desires. Temptations to sin will come to all of us. It is one of the things we can't escape as we learn to daily walk with Jesus.
How does God want me to walk? Galatians 5:16—“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Colossians 2:6—“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” 1 John 2:6—“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Jesus, our walking Example to copy. Our personal Physical Therapist teaching the proper way to walk!
Why does God allow us to have difficulty? Most of us know that a lesson learned with pain, struggle, and hardship is a lesson not quickly forgotten. God allows for struggling to build our inner strength and faith. Without struggle and resistance, a person would be weak and unable to go on when confronted by the challenges of life experiences. A child learns to stay away from a hot stove by experience sooner than with repeated warnings.
Learning to walk correctly, both physically and spiritually, is a process of growth and correction, much like a baby learning to walk. It's about paying attention to the details, practicing consistently, and trusting in my physical therapist and her support. Like physical walking, spiritual walking requires discipline, patience, and a willingness to stumble and learn from those mistakes and follow the direction of my Spiritual Therapist/Guide—the Holy Spirit.
Here are some thoughts on learning to walk correctly: Learning to walk is a journey.
First are the Baby Steps: Just as a baby takes small, uncertain steps, and trusts his parents for help, our spiritual journey begins with faith and trusting in God's guidance.
The Importance of Practice: Consistent prayer, Bible reading, and seeking God's will are essential for developing our spiritual "muscle memory".
Falling and Getting Back Up: Stumbling and making mistakes are part of the process. Like a child, we should learn from our falls, seek forgiveness, and keep trying.
The Support System: We need community, mentors and therapists, and a strong relationship with God to help us learn and grow.
Walking in Wisdom: As we learn, we should strive to walk with wisdom, seeking God's counsel and redeeming our time.
Walking in Unity: Walking with God also means walking in unity with others, fostering fellowship and support.
Walking by Faith:We should trust in God's promise and not be swayed by our fears or circumstances.
Walking with Purpose: Our spiritual journey should be filled with purpose and a desire to serve God and others.
Walking with God: Ultimately, walking correctly means living a life that is pleasing to God, reflecting His love and character in all we do.
I learned some lessons this week. My journey is filled with blessings, but I’m beware of Satan's thorns. I need to make sure of my destination and how to arrive. And most of all, I need to be walking correctly, to learn how God wants me to walk. Only then will I be able to get where I want to go. Period! And I really want to get there! How about you?
I know where I am going!