Are You On the Right Path?

During my morning walk, I took a detour from the track to the walking path through the woods. Normally, I avoid this path because the trees shade it and sometimes I am out there alone in the middle of the woods. However, today was different.

Today, my Spirit said, “Do it,” and so I did. About halfway through my walk, the paths diverged. Turn left and I would continue to the full circuit. Turn right and I would cut the walk by about a quarter-mile. Of course, I wanted to go left. I wanted to push myself. I wanted to see what I could do. After all, I’d already walked a mile and a half. Let’s do this, I thought. But my Spirit said, “Turn right.”

Can you guess what happened next? I turned left and began walking. But after about ten steps, I remembered the word ‘obedience.’ So, I turned around and took the path that led to the right.

In that moment, I realized that this is exactly what we do on our path to our destiny. We push ourselves beyond our limits. We ignore the signs and whisperings of our Spirit. We take the path that we shouldn’t and we usually end up hurting — again.

May I offer to you that God has a helicopter view of your life? You may not be able to see where you’re going on the path, but He does. He made the forest. Sometimes, you’ve got to trust that quiet voice in your Spirit that tells you the right thing to do.

We’ve all been through something painful and you know what we usually do to compensate for that pain? We push ourselves beyond our limits to avoid dealing with the pain. We busy ourselves with work or with trivial things to avoid thinking about the pain. At times, we get angry with God and decide to choose our own path. We decide that we know what’s best for ourselves and we do it, in spite of what we KNOW is the right thing to do. We make bad choices. We hang out with the wrong people. We run when we should walk. We get on the wrong path and when we realize that we’ve made the wrong choice, we just keep trying to make it work. It’s tiring.

Today, no matter what path you’re on, stop for a moment and look at your life. Is this path serving your highest good? Does it align with your purpose? If the answer is no, consider walking in a different direction.

How do you do it? It begins with a decision. You simply change your Mind. You decide that you don’t want to do this thing any more, you decide that you want peace in your life. You decide that you won’t allow that person to hurt you again, you decide to love yourself so much that you don’t depend on someone else to do it for you.  You begin to replace old thoughts with new ones.

What does that look like? Old thought — I’m so overweight and now I don’t know what to do. It’s just so hard to lose this weight. New thought — I love myself but I’d like to live a fuller life. I know what to do. I’ve got to make better choices about what I’m eating. I’ve got to get off of this couch and stop sitting in front of my computer, and I’ve got to start moving. If I start eating a healthy breakfast and I walk a little bit each day, I bet I’d feel better this time next week.

Notice how the Mind affects what you do with the Body? EVERY change in your life will begin with a decision in your Mind to choose a different path. A single thought followed by action.

A new thought in your Mind changes the trajectory of your life and your Body must respond to the new thought. But, what about your Spirit?

When you have chosen the wrong path to your destiny, your Spirit is in perpetual turmoil. You feel uneasy. You’re unhappy. It is difficult to pray and meditate. You think about your situation constantly. You are unsettled. Ultimately, you are misaligned.

When you begin with a new thought in the Mind, your Body responds by doing something different and your Spirit will respond by feeling something different. You may notice that you aren’t as fidgety all the time. You may even find yourself praying without consciously thinking about it. You will feel more at peace with the decisions that you are making. You might even start meditating or gasp — start doing yoga or exercising again. Your energy will be renewed and you will feel lighter.

Again, ask yourself, “Is this the right path for me?” If the answer is yes, keep walking in faith and not by sight. And if you see someone that you think is going the wrong way, stop to help him or her discover a new path. Or better yet, travel the new path with them. If your answer is no, choose a new thought. Renew your Mind. Your journey to healing and alignment of Mind, Body, and Spirit begins with a small decision that can change your entire life.

Whatever your answer, know that we will be here to guide you and to encourage you as you stay on the path to your destiny.

“There are two paths of which one may choose in the walk of life; one we are born with, and the one we consciously blaze. One is naturally true, while the other is a perceptive illusion. Choose wisely at each fork in the road.” — T.F. Hodge