WHERE'S YOUR PATH LEADING YOU?

It was a crisp fall morning during deer hunting season (my favorite time of the year), the sun had been up for an hour and the woods were coming alive. There was just enough snow to cover the ground, which made it easier to see deep into the woods. The birds were singing and the squirrels were being squirrely when out of the corner of my eye I noticed movement on the main trail I was hunting. It was a large deer…a large buck! I quietly re-positioned myself to look straight down the trail in his direction. He slowly kept walking in my direction; just as he was about to come out of the thick woods, he left the main trail and started veering around me. He stayed in the thick woods, on a narrow path, keeping a safe distance from me. I would get a glimpse of him every 10 yards or so, until he was out of sight and safely enjoyed his day.

That was at least fifteen years ago, and I’ve learned a lot since then. For instance, when the hunting season is over and there’s snow on the ground, it’s a good time to scout for the next hunting season. The snow helps show the typical patterns of your prey. Some trails have so much traffic that the snow is worn away. Now, if one looks off the beaten path you’ll find that there is a secondary trail, one much less traveled. That secondary trail is where the wiser deer travel; they know predators typically hunt the heavily used trails.  The worn-down trail is easy to travel; everyone’s using it so it must be safe, right? But, what’s waiting for you down that trail?

 

Here it's easy to see what trail the deer are using.

Matthew 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road the leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.