This walk with Jesus is not an easy one. Constant obstacles threaten to divert us. It might be the temptation to head in a wrong direction. Not necessarily a bad direction, just not the best one. Or it might be a person who grates on your last nerve. You know who it is. The person whose words and actions bring out your least Christlike thoughts and reactions. Then there are the day-to-day distractions. The kids need to be chauffeured to friends, activities, school, doctors. The boss wants you to do what? By when? That unexpected bill. The unforeseen illness. That conflict with a loved one. Life throws us a lot of curves. Something in us is always expecting the level path, but that isn’t the way it works, is it? When the path gets steep and rock-strewn how do we keep our focus? How do we push past the obstacles and stay focused on walking with Jesus?

I’ve heard that the best way to clear a path is to walk it. So, here’s how to keep walking with Jesus in order to clear the path when it seems full of obstacles:

Remember that God is working on the inside even when the outside seems out of control. This is hard. We want God to fix circumstances. He wants to fix character. God’s goal is our transformation, not our comfort. When your life seems out of control, that is the time you most need to trust that He is in control. I never thought of myself as a controlling person. I’ll bet you don’t either. But what I’ve come to understand is that every time I am trying to arrange a situation toward a preferred outcome, I am attempting to control. People make their own choices and things don’t always turn out the way I think they should. Rain falls when I want sunshine. You know. You’ve been there.  That’s when I need to step back and remember that God is bigger than me. We know that, but we don’t always KNOW it. Our frustration when things don’t go the way we want, when people don’t behave the way we think they should, is part of our desire to control. If you are frustrated, it’s because you can’t control the situation and you want to. Sorry to have to tell you that, but friends tell each other the truth, right? I love you, Friend!

What is now will not always be. When you and I are in the middle of a trial it seems like it will never end. It can seem so big that it takes over our whole lives. Every thought is clouded by it. All our energy is focused on just trying to navigate it. We gain perspective and hope by just taking a moment to remind ourselves that, as difficult and all-consuming as this situation may be, it will come to an end. It won’t always be this way. It’s hard to keep walking when the road is full of obstacles and there is no end in sight, but remember that it will end. 

I was in the midst of one of the most difficult trials in my life when a conference speaker reminded me that every trial does have an end. I grabbed onto that little bit of hope and it helped me to persevere even though the situation did not change and there was still no end in sight. Every trial does have an end. It won’t always be this way. I find myself saying that a lot and I’ve lived long enough to know that it’s true. Grab onto the hope, Dear One!

Focus on forever. The difference between those who are committed to Christ and those who are committed to themselves is that a believer has hope for eternity whereas an unbeliever only has hope for earth. We live for an unseen future in unending glory. When that becomes our everyday motivation every trial is transformed. When we remember that we are living for an eternal prize, the temporal troubles take on a grey filter. When we let eternity become bigger in our eyes the obstacles become smaller and forever becomes brighter. 

This eternal hope has transformed every obstacle and trial I face. It’s what helped Paul learn to be content in every circumstance (Philippians 4:11-12 ) It’s what helped every one of the apostles endure torture and martyrdom. The Apostle John was the only one who didn't die a martyr’s death, but he did endure torture. They firmly understood and believed that the prize they were living for was one they couldn’t see until they crossed over into eternity. So they pressed on. They persevered. They fixed their eyes on that unseen, unending future. And they did it with joy and hope. You and I can do the same. Focus on forever. Now is simply preparation for then. 

When you and I stay focused through obstacles and clear a path we are making the way for the people behind us. It doesn’t matter who you are, you are leading someone. Someone is following behind you. There is always someone watching how you handle your obstacles. As you press on and persevere,  you clear the path for them. Isn’t that awesome? I want to leave a clearer path for the people I influence. Don't you? Press on. Persevere. Clear the path. 

Key thought: The best way to clear the path is to walk it.

A Scripture to consider:  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”‭‭ 2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:17-18‬ ‭NIV

A YES challenge: As you consider the obstacles in your path, who is it that you want to leave a clearer path for? Pray for that person as you choose to persevere and stay focused on Jesus. Pray that God will help you set an example worth following. 

Prayer: Father, this path is harder than I thought it would be. I love You and I don't want to give up, but sometimes the way seems so difficult. Help me to keep my eyes focused on you as I press forward. Help me to remember that I am also clearing a path for those behind me, showing them the way to navigate the obstacles they will face. I want to be someone worth following. I need the power of Your Spirit in order to do it. Fill me, Lord! Amen.