A Walk in The Park
Author: Ryan Derrick
March 07, 2024
As my daughter grows older, and my metabolism becomes as slow as a snail, it’s important to me that I spend quality time with her AND get some form of physical exercise. These two tasks can be accomplished by taking Isla for a walk at our neighborhood park. This 65-acre plot of land, with a giant moat in the middle, has about a 2 ½ mile jogging path that we walk on and frequent the many playgrounds on the loop.
My daughter is 2 and a half, and the journey can sometimes be anything but, ironically, a walk in the park. “Stay on the path” is a phrase that has embedded itself into my parental pocketbook of phrases every parent has rustling in their brain. It seems that Isla couldn’t walk in a straight if her life depended on it. The walk, which should take around twenty minutes to complete, clocks in at around and hour and a half. Of course, I don’t mind. I’m in good company.
The danger is: Isla wants to divert straight to the park, not seeing the giant moat stopping her from getting there.
After chasing this, what seems to be, Usain Bolt legged preschooler from falling into the moat, we return to the dreadfully dull path. I then explain to my child that it is not safe to go straight through the way she wants, but rather on the path. Going the long way is the safest option for us, and any option that doesn’t involve fishing my toddler out of a muddied moat is one I’m going to take.
It's during these moments I tend to hear from the Lord most frequently. “How can staying on the path be so difficult,” I think. “How can she not see the giant moat in her way?” I’m sure our Heavenly Father feels the same when He looks at His children. How often do we follow our own path only to find ourselves covered in mud in the end?
The important thing to know is that your heavenly Father is right behind you, ready to get you back to the path. He does not stand still saying, “I told you so. Now, you’re going to have to get out of this mess yourself.” What a lousy parent if that were the case.
Jesus meets us in our mud and returns us to the path. Like the prodigal son returning from a life of folly, Jesus runs to us and celebrates a child coming home. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus tells us to, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” I will often not understand why God protects us from, what seem to be, good things in life. But, it is important to remember that there may be a giant moat that you cannot see, and that path is the best option.
Walking with Jesus may seem like more of a marathon rather than a sprint. I find myself comparing my walk with Jesus to others. It sometimes seems like everyone is further down the path. Jesus wants to walk with us, I encourage you to get back on the ever winding path of righteousness. After all, you are in good company.
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