One of my birthday traditions is to go on a family hike. Being new to Idaho, it took some time to find the right one, and it was beautiful. The hike had a reasonably easy trail, very well shaded, and right next to a creek. As we walked, mesmerized by God’s masterpiece, we came across a fork in the road. A wide path with an incline is to the left, and to the right is a narrow and flat one. Considering we haven’t done much hiking this year, we chose the narrow and flat path. It wasn’t long before we realized that was a mistake. The narrow path kept getting thinner, to a point where we lost the trail at some point. The further we walked, the taller the plants got and the scratchier they became. With all of us wearing shorts, there was much complaining and too many “ouch” to count. We trekked for a quarter-mile before we found a way back to the main trail, the vast and shaded trail that was clear of anything painful.
How often do you find yourself taking a shortcut because it looks easy and quick, but then shortly after you make the decision, you realize it was the wrong one?
We’ve all been there. Life is so busy and demanding; we try to catch a break any way possible, realizing what we thought would be a timesaver is quickly turning into a painful task. Even though the road may have an incline, in the beginning, don’t be quick to judge it; you never know the beauty and valuable lessons waiting on the other side of the incline.
