After the Mud

I was able to go on a silent retreat this past week. It was refreshing and Holy and also shook me up in ways I can't yet properly express.

Silence is something I know that I need. And yet it is very rare that I seek it out. It's hard to be silent. It's hard to be open and vulnerable before God. It's hard to set down my agenda and just be.

It is so vital to our faith life though. Jesus models this need for silence many times in scripture. He knew the importance of being silent and of recognizing the Holy. He sought out this silence even though it was difficult and it didn't make sense to others. He did what he needed to do to be Present.

And so, last week I found myself driving from the Panhandle to Palestine with two grumpy toddlers, with a pit-stop at my parents house to deposit said toddlers on the way. It was hard for me to get there and I thought several times about not going. Valid excuses like distance, cost, and finding people to watch the kids kept coming to my mind,

There is always resistance when I'm headed somewhere deep.

In spite of the journey and all the mundane details that had to fall into place I found myself in Palestine on Tuesday, tired but thankful that I'd made it.

Wednesday morning I woke in silence, excited about the day. I set out right after breakfast to walk a trail around the lake. I love this trail. The scenery is beautiful and I was looking forward to seeing all the wildflowers in bloom and just communing with God in nature.

Not long into my walk I came upon about a 20 foot section of the trail that was flooded.

I stood there for a while thinking about what I should do. I'll admit I was pretty put out by all the mud. That trail is a favorite of mine and I had really been looking forward to my walk. Sadly I turned around to head back to my cabin. It came to me then that I was letting a little bit of mud stop me from something I really wanted to do. Why was I letting something so inconsequential interrupt my morning? Yes, I would get muddy but I'd also get to where I wanted to be. So, I rolled up my pants and kept going. 

  

My shoes got muddy, my pants got muddy, I almost busted it several times but I made it through. And right after the trail dried out I came upon just about every wildflower you could imagine. I saw deer and birds and butterflies. I had a wonderful, beautiful refreshing time with God in the midst of creation. And I almost missed it because of some mud. 

Maybe today your journey is looking pretty muddy. You could turn back to avoid getting dirty, that would be the sane thing to do probably. Or you could just roll up your pants and trust that on the other side of the mud are wildflowers.

May you continue on your path in spite of the obstacles. And may you be blessed by the beauty and the wisdom and the mud from your walk.