Winding Road

Confronting our own misconceptions about what it's like to follow Jesus

This year, I wanted to add a few new and exciting things to my workout regimen in order to press past my normal routine over the last 3 to 4 years. I still go the gym for weight training and light cardio a few times a week, but to that I have layered on activities such as practicing yoga and hiking trails every now and again. Today was one such day where I went to hike a trail. We don’t live too far from a mountain/nature park with various hiking trails so I purchased a year-long parking pass and have resolved to visiting a certain number of times this year with ready legs and an open mind.

The last time I went out to the trails for a hike, I took the primary trail that is essentially a straight-line 1-mile journey up the mountain to the peak. It was as steep as I remembered it to be in certain parts but very much rewarding to make it towards the top with a majestic view of the city in all different directions from the summit. This time around, I started to take that same trail after making my initial walk to the base of the mountain. About 2 minutes into my ascent, I saw that there was another trail option to my left that I had not yet seen before. I decided “why not” and made the last second change to going on that trail instead. What I had discovered was actually an alternate route to the top of the mountain that was 5 miles long instead of the 1 mile straight up that I originally intended to take. This new trail was winding, long, mostly narrow but walkable, flat for long stretches, and steeper for others. There were times when the view was beautiful and vast, yet others when the view was obstructed and ordinary. It was in stark contrast to the previous trail I had taken, but led me to the same destination.

For all of the parallels you might expect me to make about straight and narrow ways that lead to Christ versus crooked and broad ways that lead to destruction, I have a slightly different take in mind.

I propose that most often following Jesus looks and feels like the experience of the trail I took today instead of the one that I took the last time I hiked to the peak of the mountain. What we expect (and desire) is for following Jesus to be a straight line steadily increasing in elevation until we reach the summit. Steep? Yes. Hard to get good footing? Sometimes. However, we persevere because we can always easily have the top of the mountain in view. Rather, in my life, I have found following Jesus to be more of a winding, narrow road that I trust is leading me to the summit of the mountain but often I cannot see it from my current point of view.

When I started the new trail today, I had no idea that it was 5 miles. My plan and preference was to do the 1-mile version to the top of the mountain and call it a day. I might have even taken the sky-ride trolley back down to the bottom. I had no idea what I was in for and most of the time I could not see where I was headed. There were several times where I would be walking for a stretch and have the following internal dialogue:

Me: Alright, once I finish this last stretch to that bend in the trail, I will take a look at the view of the city and trees from that angle of the mountain for a few minutes. Then I’ll call it day and turn around so I can head back. Deal?

Also Me: Deal!

*Makes it to the bend in the trail*

God: Well, you might as well see what is around the corner a little further ahead. It’s a different view but it will be worth it.

Me: Well, I might as well see what is around the corner a little further ahead. The view may not be as good as this one, but it also could be even better. I probably should just keep going.

This conversation was repeated within me nearly half a dozen times until I had made it to the final destination. For what it’s worth, there were times when the view was horrible. For stretches, I could not see the forest for the trees. There was one time in particular where I thought that I had stepped off the trail, were lost, and moving in the wrong direction until I saw another hiker walking ahead of me. There were long stretches without warning signs or directional arrows and often no place to rest after steeper parts of the hike. Yet, in some places that I did not expect, there were intentional sites to sit, breathe deeply, and take in the scene.

I also found that there is nothing like the unexpected camaraderie of the people you encounter taking the same trail towards the same destination. Strangers whom I had never met and knew nothing of would give a friendly greeting and encouraging words, almost 100% of the time. We likely had different political views, different hills that we would die on (figuratively not literally), and different preferences - none of which mattered because on that day we had chosen the same journey. Nevertheless, I’ll talk about that more another day. That phenomenon is worth its own post.

What I am saying is this: Do not be discouraged when everything in life, growth, and following Jesus is not always “up and to the right”. It is very likely that your story has a more scenic yet often frustrating route with a majestic view right around the corner.

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