Follow The Ancient Paths

Follow the ancient paths.

While I was looking back through my photos from my trip to Colorado, I remembered a conversation I’d had with a local there. I was explaining to them how my heart leaps at the chance to connect with nature. I absolutely find my sweet spot in sitting among a scenery of trees, rivers and all the wildlife that comes to play in that environment. What he shared with me that day, I’ll never forget.

He explained to me how elk, mule deer and even bears follow paths carved out for thousands of years in order to learn how to cross the terrain. They wind like a train through sagebrushes, swim rivers and dart across roads to reach their destinations, never wavering from it. I could just imagine bear cubs putting their tiny paws in these ginormous almost petrified gigantic trails of paws left behind by their ancestors from long ago. These are the paths that have been tried. The paths that have been tested. The paths that are true. 

It brought to mind the scripture from Jeremiah 6:16 that says, “Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.” Why sometimes do we want to reinvent the wheel? I believe Jesus is speaking of this scripture in Mathew 11:27 “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The Message version of the Bible, says it like this, “I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

Wow. Don’t you want that? Aren’t you tired of carving out your own path only to find out it leads to another obstacle or even a dead end? Here, we’re invited to learn from Jesus himself, He invites us to study His life, how He worked, how He walked. I wonder friends, especially this time of year, are you tired? Do you feel like your journey keeps taking you through places you’ve already been and have yet to find your destination? 

Look back at the ancient paths of the animals for a moment. It’s not described as comfortable. It’s a herd of them together, in community, winding through some serious terrain. They swim through rivers and even dash across roads to get to where they’re going, to join the rest of their family. Jesus doesn’t promise us an easy path, but He does tell us He will teach us. He does remind us He is gentle and He assures us rest for our souls.