The Road Less Taken...

 ...Is not just any road!

A friend told me today "I have faith that God has placed each paver down the road you two have traveled..."  That got me thinking of the imagery of that statement.  Pavers are colorful stones people have laid to decorate a particular area - patio, porch, driveway, garden walls. They cover existing concrete or grass or gravel and add personality to a bare or barren place.

Pavers come in different colors:

They come in different shapes:

 

                                                                                                     

                                                                                    They are laid in various patterns:

 
 










My friend's description of my life has new clarity!  In order for my path to be laid with pavers, God had to deliberately choose the colors, the shapes, and the patterns of those pavers.  He didn't leave the dirt or grass that was there.  He didn't use concrete or tar.  He picked out what He knew was best for me and laid out the exact right stones for me to walk on from moment to moment, trouble to triumph - for every step of this journey I'm on.

Not just the straight and easy path:

But also for the scenic parts of life:

And for the rough times:

God has laid out the pavers to get me

through the twists and turns of life:

He has directed me when my path split 

from those I walked with for a time:

And He has lit my path when the road 

 become dark and unknown:

Thinking of my life in terms of pavers changes everything.  Now, instead of wondering (or worrying) whether or not I was in the right place at the right time, I can envision that I have been walking a carefully laid out plan all along.  I may have taken some paths that I shouldn't have - by my own choices and not seeking to ask the Paver - but the Lord still took the time to lay down new stones with new shapes and colors to work with that path.  He created new paths out of my erroneous predicaments.  

I have always liked the "Footprints in the Sand" story.  However, this simple sentence from a friend enhances that story.  By looking at our Father's plan for us through the different paths we've taken throughout life, we see more than just a Comforter who has carried us in our times of trouble.  We instead see a glimpse of the Master Carpenter and Architect Who not only carries us, but He sees the life ahead and plans for it.  He knows the life He wants each of us to walk, the journey He wants each of us to take, the people He wants each of us to encounter.  And He has - quite literally in my mind, thanks to my friend! - paved the way for each of us.

Do you find yourself on a path you never imagined?  Do you wish there was a way to turn around, have a do-over?  We all make mistakes and we all make that wrong left turn.  But find hope in the Word of God, Who has, before the beginning of time, been laying path for you.  He specializes in left turns and errors.  He can work with the path you're on.  He can bring you out of the darkness, out of the rough patch, and onto solid ground.  He can and He will - just look up and find that the Master Architect is holding new pavers just for you!

Proverbs 3:6 - "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 16:9 - "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Proverbs 37:23 - "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord..."

Isaiah 48:17 - "...I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go."

Isaiah 58:11 - "The Lord will guide you continually..."

Jeremiah 6:16 - "This is what the Lord says:  'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls...'"

Jeremiah 10:23 - "Oh Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps."

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you..."