By Small and Simple Things

First posted May 2nd, 2009

Great forces are at work in my life right now. Over the past week or ten days, several small things have added up, creating an energy that is potentially life changing. I say, potentially, because the choice is mine.

It’s as if I have been hiking in the woods, near the base of a great mountain. I have been on an easy, relatively flat, and well-worn path. For some time I’ve walked along, knowing there were other paths, but feeling content for now with the one I was on.

When you’re a kid, all you think about is getting to the peak of the mountain. You think about it all the time. You see it there, in front of you, but don’t really know how to get there. You run everywhere, recklessly looking for the gondola that will whisk you to the top, all the time using up energy that could be spent moving you higher on the hill.

In time you wonder if there really is a gondola. You tell yourself that even if there is one, it must be reserved for people who were handed a ticket at some point. And you were not given a ticket. You get tired of looking for the gondola. You even stop looking up at the peak. It hurts too much to know you aren’t going to get there. You chose a trail that works for you, and over time, you don't think about it much anymore.

Over the years, I have grown to genuinely enjoy the path I’m on. It helps that I often take time to enjoy the trees and birds and flowers. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of some majestic, wild animal crashing through the brush. And, as often as I can, I sit quietly to enjoy an exquisite sunset. Perhaps ironically, it’s because of these quiet times that I have come again to think about other trails. I don’t want anything too steep, but I think I can do more than I’m doing.

This week, another path came slowly into view. Several small things combined to show me of its existence: a broken stick here, a stack of stones there, a sound in the distance, and a footprint near the edge of the trail. All of these things, working harmoniously together, helped me to look up from the path I was on.

It would take too long to catalog all the items here, and really they don’t even all make sense to me. But somehow, they all came together in a single week and have shown me that if I will work a little harder, and if I will move a little faster, I can change the path I'm on. And in changing paths, I will also change the angle of my assent. Maybe the angle difference is only a degree or two more, but over time, it will make the greatest difference in where I eventually arrive.

Great forces are at work in my life. The decision is now up to me.