The Path of Life

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence..." Psalm 16:11

There is peace in knowing what is to come: for the day ahead-the hour at hand. We take courage in making plans for the future, and filling our agenda to be sure we get everything done.

I love planning. I am most productive when I have a list made of everything I need to accomplish, and a time line of when it will all happen. And in doing that, it is also easy for me to overlook anything (and sometimes anyone) that is not on my list for that period of time. Granted, I'll get a lot done, but maybe that isn't the point.

The Psalmist reminds me that in Christ-our Lord and Savior, and Heavenly Father-we have a very simple agenda. "The way of life," as he put it, while often a deeply sought after mystical answer in the mids of some, is grounded in the source of Life: Christ Himself.

We are told to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. That is the path of life, and God blesses obedience and provides His joy. Not just when things are going well, and everything on my list is crossed off, but also when I'm ill, when I want to be grumpy, when finances are low, when the house isn't clean, when my friend is hurting, when I cannot understand: His joy can prevail.

The result of our obedience and its effect on others may never fully be known to us. God has laid down a narrow path, but does not restrict the way our example of trust, obedience and joy will bless others. That is the other part of His plan: to use our obedience to bring others to Him, to show people He cares, and that they too can know the path of life.

May I work to always put Christ first on my to-do list, with all my heart, soul and mind, so that the things that do get accomplished each day may reflect His joy, bless another's soul, and make others want to know Him more.