Anna and I along with a friend walked less than a kilometre in a rural area, while we were on our way to visit a home for a function. It was about a half a kilometre walk.
What surprised me was the winding road with poor visibility beyond. It meant slowing down while riding or driving!
It was evening and mildly cloudy. The evening twilight brightened the greenery and except for an occasional movements of vehicles or pedestrians, we found the place serenely quiet and an ideal setting for a meditative walk.
I am in a stage in life, when I have been longing for more visibility into my future. In the middle of the event decade, life usually takes a new meaning and purpose.
While on this walk, what occurred to me is that the experience of life thus far, does not necessarily offer the insight or strength to face the winding path.
At every turn, one is not sure if the turn is to the right or to the left !
We noticed two lambs crossing the road at a distance. They were returning to be with their mother who was across the road!
This sight helped me to have another perspective about the winding road where the visibility ahead is restricted! The visibility to move to across the road to the other side is outstandingly clear.
I feel tempted to look for a forward or ascending path. But there can be detour or a movement across to another perspective or direction.
While returning from the walk what stayed with me was the sight of t two lambs returns to their mother!
From a state of anxiety, I felt I was being shown a direction to live restfully without anxious striving!
One stanza in Fred Kaan's hymn, 'Help u stop accept each other' came to me:
'Teach us, O Lord, our lessons,
As in our daily life,
We struggle to be human,
And search for hope and faith,
Teach us to care for people,
For all, not just for some,
To love them as we fond them,
Or as they become'!
That brought another direction to live with each day.
Another stanza of a hymn, by Charlotte Elliot made this consciousness reinforcing:
'Lead kindly light, amidst the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on,
Th night is dark, and I'm far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me!'
Yes, the path is long and winding, but the there is enough visibility across the path to travel the other side and enough light for the next several steps ahead!
I came back thinking more about the sights on both sides of the road, which while walking faded into the background. But now those sights gave refreshing hope for provisions along the journey!
It was necessary to dwell on the long and winding path to receive another insight about journey ahead!
It was from that perspective, a new consciousness emerged about the assurance of provisions that would be forthcoming from the God of love, however long or winding a path might be!
Walk the way and take turns and detours. Jesus of Nazareth would know how and when to be present to walk beside us, as He did with the two travellers walking to Emmaus,(Luke.24-35) confused and confounded with more questions than answers about the risen Christ!
The evening walk was a path finder to a new outlook to the journey ahead!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
No comments:
Post a Comment