Choosing the Right Path
Every path leads somewhere.
The choices I make today will affect tomorrow. While we may know that in theory, sometimes we live it as though it’s not a reality.
Two years ago my husband and I planned to take a group to Israel, but CoVid put that trip on hold. We knew that circumstances could dictate when we would be able to go, but we were determined to go nonetheless.
We have been to Israel twice before and both times we came home saying, “we have to go back again soon!” With so much to see and so much to comprehend, a visit to the Holy Land is life-changing in many ways–not the least of which is gaining a whole new perspective on the Bible. Seeing it for yourself, you gain a new understanding of the culture, the topography and the history as your eyes are opened to the “big picture.” Walking in the land of the Bible takes you on a spiritual journey that could literally happen in no other way.
We just recently returned from our third trip to the Holy Land. One of the most valuable things I brought home with me was a fresh reminder of the absolute necessity of spending time in God’s Word. The words of this book are not just life changing, but are clear directions from God for the path He wants me to take. While not everyone can experience Israel personally, every person can experience God. It is His desire for us to know Him, and He made that possible by giving us the written Word.
Wherever you are in this journey of life, God has a plan that He wants to help you navigate.
This is no easy journey. The path can be dark or lonely. It most certainly will take you through hills and valleys. Sometimes to the mountaintops. Often the path leads you through twists and turns and maybe a dead end or two. The question is not how difficult or how far, but how well we traverse in every circumstance. God wants you to know that you don’t have to go it alone.
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.“
Did you know that Israel has a diverse landscape? While it is a desert region, it also boasts fertile valleys and stark mountaintops. Standing at a scenic overlook, you can view a modern city with tall buildings and every amenity–as well as The Old City that boasts ruins from the 18th century, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. Revealing a magnificent history, modern archeology is in a constant state of discovery. Every year, new ruins are discovered that continue to add validity to the history of the Bible to the delight of believers and clarity for those who would question its historical accuracy.
Walking the cobblestone streets, climbing steep inclines or hundreds of steps, you gain a new appreciation for the architecture as well as the brilliance and stamina of civilizations of the past who accomplished incredible feats without the assistance of the resources we have today.
Walking was a normal part of life. The distances we drove in the bus would have been travelled on foot or if available, by donkey or camel. Difficult terrain and the desert climate only added to the importance of the well-worn paths made by those early travelers. The nomadic Bedouin shepherds living in tents outside the city take you back to that simpler time, where paths made by the livestock over hundreds of years map the landscape.
Can you just see it in your mind’s eye? Those sheep need a shepherd to guide them.
And so do you.
