Paths

I have been thinking a lot lately about the pathways we walk in life. How much control do we really have over them? Growing up, there were these Choose your own adventure books, where you choose what happens from the choices given and basically run the story from that aspect. Is this how life is? Are we presented with a situation played out, then we are left to turn to page 23 for such-and-such, or to page 35 for choice number 2? Or do we just go through life with some predetermined path we are to follow and get whatever we can out of it without having any real control over what happens?

I would like to think that it is a combination of the two. That God controls what trials we face since He knows us better than ourselves, and it is up to us to decide which choice we make from there. Not like we have this predetermined plan of where we end up in life that is set in stone and we have no say in where we end up, but more like the Choose Your Own Adventure books that have a ton of situations that play out, but you get to choose how the main character (in this case, you) reacts to the given situation, and where you go from there.

In reading those books, I discovered that even if you make a bad choice or even two or three, you can always redeem yourself to come out with a happy ending. In life, I fully believe that you can make a few wrong choices, travel down a few dark and dreary paths, but there will always be another path, a side road, something that will be there to help you find your way back to the right pathway. Some way to get you through the path of darkness and back into the light.

Another perspective is that shown in the picture. Not many different pathways to navigate your way through, but one pathway, scattered with shadows and sunshine, and no set of either any specific length, differing in shades, length, and size. The darkness covering different parts of the path, some covering only a small section, while others cover more like the entire path, not leaving room for you to walk around the shadow, forcing you to traverse the darkness, go through the trials. The best part of that, is that after you have forged your way through that darkness, make your way past the demons and shadows, you come out on the other side, not a different person, but still you. The difference being that those trials, shadows, and darkness have given you strength, courage, and the ability to know that you can succeed. You can beat the shadows and come out on the other side stronger because of it. think back with me on the trials of your life. How wonderful is the feeling of knowing that you did it. You made it through that horrible time in your life, and if it comes again, you know you are ready because you've done it once before?