Sometimes, when we don’t know which way we’re going and we feel kind of lost in life, we need to look back. When we do, it’s easier to see how far we’ve come. It helps to see how the paths in our wakes have actually taken us to a new vantage point.

Sometimes that’s not so clear when we’re just looking ahead with those mountains to climb looming large in front of us.

A Hike that Reminded Me to Look for Paths in our Wakes

I was reminded of the importance of looking back on a hike a while back.
Some friends and I had huffed and puffed ourselves over the hilltops under blue skies. The expanse of desert valleys were laid out before us.
We trudged higher and further into the desert as we talked through the world.
friends hiking in the mountains of the desert
…admiring all the interesting formations that part of the desert had to offer.

We Got Lost

And then, at some point in our journey, we realized we were lost.

Not a scary, worried kind of lost, but lost just the same.  We tried to forage our way through some pretty crazy places in search to find that path again.hiking in the desert up some huge boulders to try to find our way

At one point I scaled up some boulders to see what I could see from above and looked back down at my friends below, only to find that there was a neat little path carved right there through the place I had climbed (which I sadly didn’t think to take a picture of, darn it!)

It was a little thing, looking back and finding that path, but something I’ve been thinking about ever since.

Taking the Direction we THINK is Right

I love this poem we memorized growing up:

Remember all that memorizing hoopla I’ve talked about in the past? I am so grateful for these words that have been running through my mind from time to time.

Sometimes when life is unsure we have to be brave enough to take steps in the direction we think is right.

Sometimes only after we take those steps can we look back and realize the path that led us there.  We may realize it’s the right one and we are right on track, or we may realize we’ve come the wrong way and be willing to turn around and start over again.

But it’s so interesting what we learn in hindsight.

It takes action and motion. It sometimes takes a leap of faith to figure it all out.

There are so many people struggling to find solutions in life.

To find peace.

To find answers.

And to find God’s love.

Sometimes we are paralyzed trying to find the “right way.”

There are often huge obstacles blocking our progress.

But often the answers to our questions come only after we have taken the steps in the best direction we know how.

Then we can look back and realize how far we’ve come.finding paths in our wakes

Sometimes we need to remember to stop and take in the flowers along the way.

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5 Comments

  1. Thank you !
    I would love to hear your thoughts on nothing teen drama but how as mothers we navigate those waters with our own friends with their teens, and how to watch out for your own kids without damaging friendships !

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