Beyond the Trail

I got my idea “Dappled Sunshine” on the trail. On yet another hike, I got another idea, this time for a devotion called “Beyond the Trail.”

I was walking along the trail. I have a really bad habit of staring at the trail during the whole hike; well, as I’m walking, I realize, “Okay, wait a minute. All I’m staring at is rocks, dirt, roots, and pinecones. Plus, I’m hurting my back, shoulders, and neck. Why am I not enjoying the scenery around me as I walk?”

So, I straightened my shoulders and started to look around. Oh, the beauty! My heart surged with joy as I looked at the green trees bursting with leaves; the moss; the delicately curled ferns; the little green worm-like-caterpillars hanging from their silk (by the way, those things FREAK ME OUT even though they are pretty cute.....I guess, I’m fine with them as long as they aren't on me); the bushes full of flowers; all the beauty God created, and here I was, missing it because I was staring at the trail my feet stepped on. I stared at the boring trail, a trail I’d trekked on before. I stared at the trail: the ugly trail; the cracked trail; the lumpy trail; the uneven trail; the broken trail.

I got to thinking. A lot of times, we all make the mistake of focusing too hard on the ugly trail, when really, there’s a chance to see the beauty beyond the trail. Seriously!

Instead of focusing on our ugly, cracked, lumpy, uneven, broken life, instead of sticking to the boring, continuing path, lets look out beyond the trail, to the beauty of LIFE! Relish life in the moment; relish the green beauty of the forest instead of the dirty trail.

Our life can be ugly, but we can find the beauty beyond the ugly, if we really search.

Our life can be uneven, but we can find the steady beyond the uneven, if we really search.

Our life can be broken, but we can find the complete beyond the broken, if we really search.

To search, you need to find God. To find God, you need to find trust. To find trust, you need to find faith. And the Bible feeds the faith. And when you find God, trust, and faith, you are really finding the beauty beyond our ugly, uneven, and broken lives. Because our lives aren’t all ugly. There is beauty.

Like your adorable pets. Like that flower unfurling its petals in your flowerbed. Like that majestic horse standing in the neighboring field. Like the glory of the sunset in the evenings and the grandeur of the sunrise in the mornings. Like the love you get when you hug your family. Like the tickle of laughter that bubbles within you.

I encourage you to find the beauty beyond the worn trail. Find the beauty beyond the ugly, the uneven, and the broken.

When you do that, you’ll really find the dappled sunshine in your life.

This would be a Wednesday post, but tomorrow I leave for the hospital for my first round of immunotherapy. I am putting on my courage. Thank you all for the prayers!!!!