Illuminating My Path...

This past weekend, I wrote a blog titled “Enough.”  I spoke about how right now I am in this “wait and see” time in my life.  I talked about my dreams and feeling like I am in limbo.  I wondered if I would ever feel like what I have “today” is enough. 

God answered that for me this week.  I attend a Bible study on Tuesday mornings.  It is on the book of Mark.  It is really very interesting.  I am learning a lot of historical and cultural facts about the Bible.  Given my Catholic school education, I am surprised at the things that I do not know.  It is pretty awesome.  Maybe I was told these things before but did not have ears to hear. 

One of the women in the study talked this week about a verse that hit me really hard.  Psalms 119:105 says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  This verse has always seemed pretty obvious to me.  It is one of the few verses that Liv has memorized.  If we keep God’s word close to us, it will help us on our journey.  Living in God’s word is the only way to make it around or through the obstacles in our path. 

But there is more to it than that.  When you think about what a “lamp” must have been in the time during which the Bible is written, it is hardly a Coleman camping lantern that lights all the way around you.  The “lamp” referred to in this verse was probably only a very small candle, held in front of the person walking.  The light that candle threw was probably only enough to illuminate one or two steps in front of them.  And they were surrounded by darkness otherwise. 

How often are any of us in true, physical darkness – darkness so thick, deep and black that you cannot even see your hand in front of you?  Most people experience what they feel is “dark” without realizing that there may be a couple of streetlights a short distance away or perhapslights emanating from a nearby house. 

What would we do if we had to walk someplace surrounded by darkness, with only the light of a lone candle illuminating one or two steps in front of us?  Would we be afraid?  Would we wonder what we would run into five or ten steps ahead of us?  Yet – we won’t GET to that stage of being five or ten steps ahead if we don’t take the steps that are being immediately illuminated by that light. 

And the light that God’s word provides is the ONLY light that we need at that moment to make the right choices to honor Him and to further His plan for our lives.  Maybe that is why we sometimes can only see one or two steps ahead – because if we could see further, we would try to take shortcuts or do things not honoring to God.  Maybe it is in our weakest times that God does not illuminate the path set before us so that He knows we won’t stray too far, won’t take a misstep and go off course.  As much as we trust what is before us on our illuminated path, we also need to trust that God will protect us from the darkness.

Today has to be enough for me.  Today has to be about taking whatever step God has illuminated in front of me.  And I am so grateful that I am not stumbling in darkness, that I have God’s word to light my path even if it is one baby step at a time.