It was the day after our Tennessee Christmas. A warm 67 and overcast. My heart was crying out for adventure. I love simple days in our little home but after multiple days in a row, I need to get out. My lungs yearn for fresh air and my eyes hunger for His beauty. So, Buddy and I decided to take on some trails near the house.

Walking through the Tennessee hills, the only thing I could hear was the rustling of the river waters and the leaves beneath my feet. My eyes watched the bright blue birds dancing and Buddy prancing. I felt still for the first time in a long time- not physically because that always seemed to be at work, but within my soul. I felt peace- which is sometimes why I think my heart craves moments such as these so much so that nothing can fight it back. As if I hear Him calling from the woods… “come get still with me.”

As Buddy and I continued on the trail, we walked through a deep valley. Hills on both sides so high I couldn’t see around me. All I knew was there was a forward direction and there was a backwards direction. We came to a fork in the trail- Multiple different choices. One easy, one moderate, and one difficult. One had better views throughout and one had one grand view. And they all led to the same place, HOME.

My mind began to wonder as I stood there. Where did I want to go, how much work did I want to put in, what kind of experience did I want out of it. Did I really want easy? Was easy going to give the results I really wanted? For my body and for my mind. Or did I want to take the hard path? One of unknowns and one that could and would push me to my limits. It took my mind back to a hike I did by myself in Colorado a few years back. I didn’t research getting into it, I just went. And boy am I glad I did. It was strenuous and there were moments I seriously contemplated turning around,  but the views at the top were worth the difficulty of the climb.

I had an ephiphany in that moment as my mind started racing. There are so many parables in the bible that speak of choices. Choices that are usually one way or the other. Right or wrong. Good or bad. There usually isn’t a middle or grey area. Choices that could take our life in a completely different direction with just one quick decision within one split second. Just like that, the trail head was full of choices and paths, that’s what life is like too. We have choices. What is boils down to is our own fleshly will and God’s will. What we chose each and every moment may bring us back to the same destination, but those choices will in fact come at different costs and comforts.

Some roads are going to be easy. Some roads are going to be strenuous. Some are going to be the most difficult but they are going to have the most beautiful views after overcoming the climb. Some are going to be so easy that you never really feel the benefit of the climb. And from my past I’ve learned that the most beautiful stories never came with an easy climb.

For those of us who have made an eternal decision, all of our paths lead to the same destination. It’s just up to us as to what that climb is going to look like and feel like to our hearts, minds, and physical stamina. It’s up to us to take the time to slow down long enough to let God choose the path or to let our own self will choose the path. And that in itself can be a dangerous weight to choose.

Before I started on the trail today, I asked God to speak to me. Loud and clear. To let me get quiet enough to hear His whisper and not my own thoughts. To let me slow down long enough to feel His presence.

So I sat down in the middle of the forest when I felt my mind spinning and I began to read. And the verse that came to mind which has been so huge for this last year is Isaiah 30:18:

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.””

Going into a new year and a new decade, we know that every single day is made up of choices. Thousands of seconds in a day are made up of choices.

What is your position going to look like this next year? What are your mornings going to look like? What is your drive and desire going to look like? What is your role as a husband or wife going to look like? A father or mother? And most importantly what is your role in the kingdom going to look like here on earth?

What are you going to take time to do in this next year to position yourself in a place where you can hear which path He wants you to take each and every day? Are you going to run that trail with Him or are you going to run it alone? We only get this one race. Run it well this year sweet friends. One day, it will be our last. Run it strong, and run it with a legacy.

He is right there, waiting, in the little and big moments to help us choose, every day, all day. We need only to be still and ask.