running down a path barefoot in the dark

Hi sweeties!

I just popped on here to share a little bit from my heart per the usual <3 

I hope that these words hold some honey for your tea !

This evening, I pulled an old journal off my shelf and started thumbing through the pages. I found these little words taking up a small space on a single page and paused. 

In the stillness of trust 

you asked me to run barefoot 

down a path in the dark 

how did I not notice you 

running beside me 

until now 

Have you ever run down a path in complete darkness before? 

It's an unsettling (and also thrilling) sensation - wind whistling in your ears, arms out to either side to feel for branches, pupils widened to let any scrap of light in, feet feeling timid as they search for a landing place. Now imagine doing it barefoot (which I have never done...nor would I necessarily recommend). 

When I wrote those words in that little worn out journal years ago, I felt like I was running down a path in the dark barefoot a lot of the time. In looking for a steady place for my feet to land, I was given the ending to those few lines: 

how did I not notice you

running beside me 

until now 

WhatEVER it is that you are up to right now - whatEVER path you are running along barefoot in the dark - do you know that there is One who will always go with you? 

Sometimes it can feel like Jesus asks us to start running without a flashlight - without directions - without knowing where we are going...

...and that's a GIFT. 

Not an easy one. 

But a GIFT nonetheless. 

A gift because it's an opportunity to grow in trust

A gift because it's an opportunity to grow in leaning on other senses besides your sight

A gift because it's an opportunity to grow in noticing that the Holy Spirit will never ask you to go  anywhere without also going with you. 

You may be running down a path barefoot in the dark, 

but you certainly don't ever have to do that alone. 

There is this story in the Old Testament about how the Israelites wandered in a desert for 40 years (for a lot of reasons but mostly because they were stubborn and didn't follow directions). When their leader Moses was over 100 years old, it was time for a new leader to take his place. This new leader happened to be a guy named Joshua...who seems to be told to be strong and courageous A BUNCH of times. 

In ANY case...in this period of transition, as Joshua was being handed the immense responsibility of leading a bunch of stubborn and weary people to the land they had been promised, Moses gave these words to Joshua:

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8) 

After all the wild and crazy nonsense Moses had been through, he still had those words to share with Joshua - a man who probably felt like he was about to start running down a path barefoot in the dark. 

Fast forward to the time of Jesus. 

Can you picture Him running down a road barefoot in the dark with his followers? Dust flying - Peter whooping and hollering - John dropping papers - Thomas sucking in air through his teeth - Mary Magdalene's hair streaming out behind her - Matthew calculating the probability of falling or spraining an ankle...

Now fast forward to where you are now. 

Living and breathing in some WILD times. 

Remember to take the best running buddy there is along with you as you kick up dust on this crazy road. 

Love. You.