The Path that leads to Peace

When Katie and I went to Rome this summer, our hotel was situated within walking distance of everything we needed. We would take the same route every morning to get to the bus station where the tour buses or the taxis or any other mode of transportation we needed was available. After a few days of walking the same way every morning, some of the people began to recognize us. We would pass the same bell hops in their bright red uniforms outside hotels and the same waiters in their crisp white coats setting up the outside cafe for the breakfast crowd. We would say hello and they would say "hey" or "hi" back with a huge smile on their face as they practiced their English. Even though we were in another country and everyone around us was speaking another language, that walk became familiar for us. It made us feel comfortable each day.

Several of the nights we were there, we would make our way to the Trevi fountain and eat at one the outside restaurants. The same thing happened there. As we would read the menus and look for a place to eat that night, the hostesses and the waiters would recognize us. They would smile and wave. Some would talk to us in broken English and laugh. But again, in an unfamiliar place, we felt comfortable and safe.

Life can be uncomfortable sometimes, can't it? We can feel out of our comfort zone so quickly. Our circumstances can become so overwhelming that we don't recognize anything familiar around us. There are even days when we feel like everyone around us is speaking a different language. Like the world around us didn't get the memo that our life was falling apart. No one seems to care that we are hurting or scared or lonely or just tired. Our circumstances begin to dictate our feelings.

When that happens, sometimes we just have to stop and be still. But we tend to run to anything or anyone that will listen to us. Sometimes that path is the one that is familiar to us. The path to that friend who will vent with us. That path to that place that makes us forget what we are feeling. Maybe even the path to that vice that numbs it all. 

But God says that His Word is a light to our path. Run to Him. The more we take that path, the more familiar it becomes. We begin to feel comfortable and safe. We begin to hear a language that we recognize. Our circumstances begin to pale in comparison to His Peace.

Try His path today. You will find it familiar and comfortable and safe.

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Psalm 119:105