The Path in the Woods

By Anthony Buttacy, Head of School

A few Sundays ago I woke up to a silent house and felt immediately in my spirit that I needed to go and pray. I got up, got dressed, and proceeded to go into our basement to pray. As I got settled in and started to pray, I felt God telling me to get up and take a walk. I have to admit, I knew it was cold out and double (triple even) checked with God, sort of a “are you sure you want me to go out in the cold?” Naturally, God doesn’t change His mind and I went back upstairs, put on my coat, and went for a walk. I walked around my development, enjoyed some time in the fresh air, and saw some neighbors. It was a nice time of prayer and reflection. As I was finishing, I felt impressed to take some time to walk in the woods behind our house. I have been wanting to do that since we moved in, but I never quite found the time.

As I entered the woods, my plan was to walk to the creek. I knew it wasn’t far, a few hundred feet at most, but I also couldn’t clearly see it from my fence. Once I entered the woods, I noticed that a channel had been cut into the ground by the water runoff. This looked like a great path to take to the creek, but it had water running in it from the melting snow. Being that I was in my old sneakers, that were not exactly waterproof, and not wanting to track mud back into the house, I decided to walk through the trees to the creek. After about 50 feet, I realized that this was not going to be as easy as I thought. There was no clear path through the trees, instead, I had to move and duck under branches as I walked. Further in, I found thorns covering the area around the trees. While I could still get through, I had to take my time, unhook them from my clothes, and even try to step on top of the thorns to avoid getting caught. I eventually got down to the creek and spent some time on the bank. It was so peaceful. A place to be alone with God where the only sound was the creek rushing by. Once I felt done, I retraced my steps to home through the thorn bushes and trees. Once I got to the edge of the woods, I looked back and saw how much easier it would have been to just take the path the runoff had carved into the ground. It was here that God had His lesson for me.

At times, the path God lays out for us might not seem like a desirable one. At first glance, it might seem difficult or uncomfortable. The reality is, it actually is the easiest way. If I had taken the runoff path, my shoes might have gotten a little dirty and my feet wet, but I would have had a much easier walk. Instead, I chose to go my own way, which I thought was easier. The result – a harder trip through the woods and I still couldn’t avoid the water and the mud. The lesson – take the path that God has laid out for you. While you might be able to get to the destination a different way, it might take longer, require you to navigate extra obstacles, and you still wind up having to overcome the obstacles you were trying to avoid in the first place.

“No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come to those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:3-5