When the path is not clear

The view from my yard this morning.

Actually, the fog was worse when I first stepped out there. When Leyna first wakes in the morning, it's a mad dash for me to throw on a jacket, houseshoes, and grab her leash before she's dancing cross-legged at the front door. She's ready to do her 'bidness'. I guess when you're that tiny, your bladder can only hold for so long. Of course, I'm not at all tiny, and my bladder can only hold for so long. By the time I drag her back indoors, I'm dancing cross-legged. I rarely even have time to remove her leash before I go running to do my 'bidness'. All that to say, I didn't have my camera when the fog was genuinely dense.

This was an early morning shot at a lake where we camped last fall. The name of it escapes me, but it was somewhere in Arkansas. Leyna woke me at the crack of dawn. That time I was prepared with the camera hanging from my neck. This was a distance picture shot with the zoom, and it doesn't capture the real beauty of that moment. I get so excited when I hear a flock of geese or ducks overhead. These had just landed on the water when I took the picture.

As pretty as the fog can be, it can also be dangerous. I remember a harrowing trip we made a year or so ago in fog so dense you could not see one full car length ahead of you. My husband had an early morning doctor's visit in Dallas. We left early, long before dawn, since it's nearly a two hour drive. I was ready to turn around and go back home by the time we got on the highway outside of town. I pretty much behaved the same way I did on our mountain camping trip, traveling up Slumgullion Pass. I whimpered, cried, and whined. I prayed alot. We did make it there safely, but we heard on the news of many bad wrecks.

There are times in our lives when we seem to know exactly where we're headed, anticipating every pothole in the road, and every turn to the left or the right, just like a familiar road traveled every day.

Other times, life can seem less certain. We find ourselves on an unfamiliar path, inching along in the fog, not sure what pitfalls lie ahead.

God is just as real and present in those times of uncertainty as He is when the view ahead is clear. It truly is possible to have the same peace in our hearts when we don't know what direction the road ahead is going to take us, as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Him.

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. Isaiah 26:3 (Amplified Bible)

Even when things look dark or foggy or uncertain. Even when things appear to be terribly wrong in your life. If you're keeping your eyes and heart fixed on God, committing your way unto Him, you can trust Him to lead you safely through whatever storm you're facing. Seek His face, listen for His voice.

And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 (Amplified Bible).

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (Amplified Bible)

Don't be surprised when things suddenly look clear again. They were clear all along for God. You can confidently trust Him to lead you every step of your day, every step of your life. You will walk through dark times, but He's there, and blue skies will once again appear!