Venturing out of my safe place…

A New Year means the possibility of NEW GROWTH, new adventures and new risks,  IF I’m willing to take them.  I still have to venture out of my safe place, my comfort zone.  Here is something I’ve learned recently about this topic…

We live on the shore to shore trail.  It goes across the state of Michigan.  In the summer you will see groups of horseback riders riding down our road and in the winter you will see hordes of snowmobiles go zooming by.  A mile down the road is a beautiful creek and a hiking trail that goes up the mountain side.  The walk down is wooded and it’s so refreshing to listen to the birds and breathe in the earthy smell.

We have walked the road many, many times in the 11 years we’ve lived here.  Recently my hubby and I bought snow shoes.  If we’re going to live in the cold we might as well learn to enjoy it.    We decided we would go down to the creek and go on the trail that we were aware of.   So we head out on our way and as we’re walking we see a trail head sign that we’ve walked by hundreds of times but never taken.  We decided to veer off onto that trail since the snowmobiles were out in FULL force.  There was no path forged and we had no idea where it was leading.  We were going on an adventure as I would say to my grand kids.

We start walking on the trail and I was a little nervous because we had no clue where it went.  Luckily the trees were marked along the way.  When we didn’t know the way you could just look up ahead and see the marked trees.   This trail was beautiful! I mean beautiful!  There was a creek bed that we wrapped around and the trail walked right down by the river.  The sound of the water flowing was so soothing.  It was awesome!

We discovered that there was this whole part of our neighborhood we had never ventured on and like I said we’d walked by the trail head hundreds of times.

It made me think about my life.  How often have I walked the same path every single day, almost as if sleep walking?  Walking by the abundant things God has for me, never venturing onto the trail head I’ve  walked by hundreds of times.

This afternoon I just ventured out for a hike with my dog.   I was nervous to go by myself.  We’re in the woods and you never know who you might run into or what you might run into.  We’ve had some weird animal sightings in the area.  But it got me thinking. I had the choice to take the safe path that I’ve always traveled, which is nice and familiar and safe or I could take the trail less traveled where the scenery and sounds are spectacular and the hike is so refreshing.  I feel like right now in my life God is calling me out onto the water to try the unfamiliar.  To tread the trail that very few people do!  Yikes!  It is scary.  I don’t always know what that looks like or where it leads but God has given me trail markers along the way I do know that.

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105

Not only does He give me trail markers but he promises to go with me.

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Duet. 31:6

How about you, are you going through the motions of life?  Are you half asleep?  Do you need to wake up and step out? Do you need to venture out of your safe place?  Is God calling you out of your safe place?  Take some time to mull that over.

God is showing me that he has a great big banquet table for me to enjoy and I’m choosing the crumbs by living the safe life.  I want more than the crumbs but it’s going to take me venturing out of my safe place.

Maybe I’ll meet you on the trail! I hope so!

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