Trail Ahead

One year, I convinced my friends to participate in a trail race in our city. It was a normal 5K, but instead of taking place on a track or road, the course was mapped out through the woods in a local park.

None of us had done a trail race before, and our naive minds didn’t see much difference between a regular road race and a trail run. Quickly into the start of the race, we noticed that this run would be very different. There were hills and valleys, dirt, mud and water. Roots that trip you up, rocks that you must run through, and the ground is anything but level.

Not two minutes into the race, I had already wiped out and quickly lost confidence. I only wanted to race on level ground without any of these pitfalls.

The level ground I longed for would have allowed me to run the race confidently and quickly with my head held high. Instead, I was trying to navigate pitfall after pitfall, running with my head down, not trying to thrive but simply to survive.

Life here on earth is a trail race, with highs and lows, unseen obstacles, and obstacles that seem to trip you up and keep you looking down. Today’s Psalm acknowledges that the level ground is the one we should seek. Left to our own choices and desires, we often end up on the bumpy, rough trail. But if we seek God and learn His Will, His spirit can lead us to much more level ground.

The level ground is still a race, with hard work needing to be done to continue running well. It won’t be easy, but it is better to run the level race with the Spirit. (Definitely better than stumbling through the trail on your own.) With the Spirit, we can confidently stride forward, knowing we are headed in the right direction. We can draw from the strength and power that the Holy Spirit offers us when we draw near.

Seek the Holy Spirit today and run your race with confidence that no matter what the race puts in your path, you have a guide that will see you to the finish line.