All of a sudden, life halts our perfectly paved and planned-out journey and takes us for an unexpected turn down a rocky, rough, difficult, unpredictable path. We look at the path that we’ve been on…we look at the destination that we were headed for…and none of it makes sense. We can’t even see where this new path leads. We have no idea what’s at the other end of it.

But we take one step…

And another step…

We stumble…

We have to reach out for Another’s hand to steady us.

(And He’s always there to steady us.)

Sometimes stumbling more…

Sometimes fearful of the unknown…

(Yet He whispers peace into our fears.)

Sometimes looking back, wondering why we were diverted from paved and predictable to

unknown

scary

rocky

lonely

hard.

And then we see it. A glimpse, anyway. A little bit of light peeking in through the trees that are shrouding light and sky and the things beyond. We hear the sound of dancing water running steadily on…

…it’s a glimpse of the hope and beauty that waits, just beyond the struggle.

It’s a place of rest and beauty and unexpected joy…a place we couldn’t have seen or known on that other path. We look back at the rocky journey to get to this place and then we look up at the One who was with us the whole way, and He smiles. He smiles because we trusted. Because we took His hand and His lead on His path for us.

We remember as we look at Him that He knows too well the hard path. He’s already taken the hardest one and He promised to be with us and guide us on ours. His eyes are compassionate and knowing. They know pain and struggle…yet they know and see the hope and joy beyond it all. He knows that it’s worth our enduring it all here, all of this life-stuff that we endure for now. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2)…what kind of joy did He see set before Him? (Lord, give me eyes to see, at least catch a glimpse, of the joy to come as trials arise here!!)

And then…He beckons us to sit here with Him. To inhale and rest and enjoy Him and the beauty that He’s led us to.

And I become filled with gratitude for the difficult unknown journeys because they bring us into these beautiful restful spaces where we see and know Jesus better. Ones that we never would have seen or appreciated otherwise.

All it takes is trust and obedience. How much beauty does He want to show us??? Are we willing to trust and obey?

Once again, again and again, He shows me that He’s so faithful. That even when we have to walk the hard paths we can trust His lead. Knowing that there’s always hope and joy in and beyond the hard places.

Lord, help me to remember Your faithfulness. Strengthen me with endurance, knowing that there is joy beyond measure set before me. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You, Jesus.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all Your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6