Painted on the Pines

Does God ever give you signs that you are on the right path?

Jesus said that the road is narrow, so it can't be as easy to follow as I-65 going from Nashville to Louisville.

I think it's more like a hiking trail.

Like those old hiking trails where someone painted arrows on trees to mark the path. The painted arrows were never on every tree. Sometimes the length between signs on the trees would be so great that you would begin to question your direction. But then...finally...right before you turned around or went all call of the wild, you saw the white arrow showing the way. And then you were good for another quarter of a mile or so until the process repeated itself.

God gives us all signs along the way. Sometimes the guidance is plainly painted on the pines. Other times, we have to walk in faith before He shows us the way or we discover we've strayed from the path. 

God gave me one of these moments recently.

I'm about 10 years late reading anything by John Eldredge. He wrote the book Wild at Heart. That book was great, but then he wrote Waking the Dead (not The Walking Dead). You should do your heart some good and read it. It felt as if Eldredge wrote that book with a picture of me on his desk. The book was just what my heart needed to hear from cover to cover.

This was one of those books that I didn't want to end. But then the strangest thing happened on the last page.

He finished the book by writing these words, "Read Lewis's last installment in The Chronicles of Narnia, titled The Last Battle."

Now that probably doesn't mean much to you. It's not printed on a tee shirt. You'll never hear your pastor reference that quote. However, it was trail marking for me. 

You see, I took two books on Fall Break with me this year. One was Waking the Dead. The other was The Last Battle. I'm only about 20 years late reading the Chronicles of Narnia; but over the last year, I have been reading through the whole series and planned on finishing the last enstallment after finishing Eldredge's book.

Out of every possible book that I could read next, Eldredge recommended that exact book. My book on deck.

I don't want over-spiritualize this, but the chances of that happening are next to none. God was trying to show me something. And there's something astonishing that happens in your soul when the Creator of the heavens and the earth, stops and does something solely and uniquely for you. 

You might not have noticed this but I haven't made a post since July 26th. That's nearly three months.

Why?

• I've been frustrated with a lack of progress (as I see and define success).

• I've been fearful and listened to lies from Satan. (That's right, he's real and he comes to steal, kill, and destroy.)

• I've been unfaithful in my calling. Writing is something I feel God has called me to do. 

• Lastly, I've been forgetful. I've neglected writing because it's the easy way out. 

God spoke to me throughout Waking the Dead. In the closing, he solidified that work by showing me that I was heading back on the right path. He carefully placed the signs along the path in two books that I have neglected for decades. The trail has been clearly marked for me. The Holy Spirit is inside of us acting like a guide. If we learn to listen to Him, then we will find ourselves right where God wants us.

When has God shown you that you were on the right path?