I hike a lot. I have gone on short hikes, and I have gone on long hikes. Some hikes are easy and some incredibly challenging. Some days the weather has been beautiful. Other days the weather has been life-threatening. I have been charged by boar, deer, and bear. I come around a curve in the trail to be greeted by a field of wildflowers in bloom. I have hiked trails so steep that it was like climbing a ladder with the rungs two feet apart.

But here are lessons for life that I have learned from hiking:

I will not know what is around the next curve, ever, whether it be beauty or danger.

Rattlesnakes that give warning are safer than ones that lie silent on the trail.

The weather can change in an instant, and there is nothing I can do about it.

One foot in front of the other is the only way to get out of the woods.

Carry only what you need- without knowing what you might need.

Step aside to let others pass.

Trust.

When hiking, the path is rarely straight. It is filled with curves and climbs, roots and ruts, and yet, I have always made it home.

Here is something that today’s verse from Proverbs teaches us about trust. It does not ask us to make the path straight for the Lord. It says that if we acknowledge Him, he will make straight our path. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

During our lives, are we making the path straight for the Lord or is the Lord making the path straight for us? - Yes

The Way that Jesus has shared with us does not level and pave the path for us. It does not give us power, wealth, or control. Jesus did not preach that life would become easy. It requires much of us. What Does the Lord Require of us? Trust in Him. He will provide.

When we are lost, tired, and hungry, we must keep walking the path shared with us. When we are healthy, strong, and righteous, we make straight the way for our Lord. So every day that we fill the ruts and remove the stumbling blocks, we are straightening the path for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the prisoner, the naked, and the sick. And whether you notice it or not, His grace will make straight the path for you.

Lord, when I am blind, please let me see your grace. When I stumble, please help me to stand. When I am scared, please bring me comfort. When I lose faith, please give me strength to trust in you. And when I am weak and try to rely on my own insight, please bring me the wisdom to trust and rely on you instead. Amen.

This devotion was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.