oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on
the everlasting arms.
---Elisha A. Hoffman, 1887
Path. Way. Journey. Through the years, these expressions of
spiritual life have come to ring truest in my ear, and resonate most soundly in
my soul. While I am not always positive about my destination, and my goals
change, and sometimes finish lines seem frustratingly movable, feeling called
to the journey is a constant. If day breaks, there is a path, and even when I
may not be totally sold on the reason, my feet will be on it, because that is
what feet, and paths, are for.
In this little bit of late-19th cent. poetry, the
hymnist speaks of the path growing bright from day to day. My mind travels to
the memory verse from Bible Drill---“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a
light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) And
the thing is, I’ve walked on some dark paths in my life (yep, literal and metaphorical), and I know how lights work. That
flashlight? Even a good one, with the batteries you remembered to replace before you packed it up for the campout?
It illuminates the path a few steps ahead.
God’s presence? Right there with us on the path, every step
of the way. But that light it throws? It’s a flashlight, not a floodlight. We
were always meant to walk leaning on God, steps at a time, waiting for the
light to shine up ahead.
Wow. Light for the journey, and an arm to lean on. On the path with Jesus.
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