This piece of writing came out of reflection walking round the Isle of Iona during my retreat this week.
Written 19 March 2024

Its easy when it’s a road,
or another man-made path
designed to get us all safely from A to B.
Add in clear skies, great visibility…
You can trust,
And we do, easily –
We don’t even think about not trusting!

Then there’s the well-worn paths –
The paths so often trod by all who have gone before…
people, animals, life of all kinds…
it is our turn now, to add our print to this path,
marking the way for those who come behind!
They too are easy to trust,
visibility still clear, leaving no room for doubt.

But stepping off those well-beaten tracks –
to the roads less travelled.
The path is less clear now,
is it that line in the grass or the next?
Uncertainty begins to creep in,
our clear visibility growing dimmer.
But we can find our way, consulting the maps,
perhaps heightened awareness too
of every rock, hill, and stream,
considering the direction each step must take,
God’s guidance now in every conscious thought.

And the times when the path disappears completely…
fog may close in around us, penetrating our mind.
Our awareness widens, looking for clarity to find direction –
and then… what’s the best route to create,
over hill or through the bog,
finding a new path that maybe one day,
others may choose to follow,
our gift of security along this brand new path.

And when we re-connect with those better worn paths,
with confidence, relief, a new spring in our step –
visibility clearer, both around us and in our minds
as again we find security following those travelled before us.

From one path type to the next…
in every walk along life’s journey,
The guidance for all our paths we travel is there –
if only we are brave enough to trust.