A Hazy Road

Looking through writing prompts, I came across this one: Smoke, fog, haze: Write about not being able to see in front of you.

Good ol’ writing prompts. This could have led me down a path of fiction; instead, it reminded me of a recent conversation I had.

This isn't the actual card, but it's pretty darn close. Photo 

I was asked to choose from a selection of photos one that reflects my walk with God right now. There were so many options – natural settings, city dwellings, people laughing, a kid crying, abstract patterns, mathematical equations, road signs.

I chose an image of a tree-lined road mostly obscured by fog. I’m sure you have either seen a similar image somewhere or experienced it first hand – what is immediately in front of you is clear, but anything beyond is in a haze.

I know where God has me right now – this part of the road is acutely in focus. However, there is also a road ahead that I will travel, but I don’t know what that looks like right now. I know there is more to my life than what I see, I just don’t know what the ‘more’ is.

On this hazy road, I have two options. The first is to stay where I am, only do what I am doing. After all, it’s clear here; it seems safe in its definition and clarity.

The second, the one that is more frightening, is to keep putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward into a bit of the unknown, saying yes to new opportunities, daring to dream new dreams. The second option requires more faith than planning, more expectancy than knowledge.

The second option still requires work, of course, but it releases the outcome of that work willingly (and rightfully) to God. It requires letting go of needing to know the when and why of it all. It requires a daily choice to trust in His plan, His process, and His promises.

The second option is the more frightening one, true, but it is also the more exciting one, the more rewarding one. It is the one that allows me to focus on the present, letting both the past and future exist in a bit of a haze. It is the one that leads to more than I could have planned or even dreamed for myself. It is the one that leads to a deeper love and trust in God. It is the one that will allow me to impact more lives than just my own.

It is the option I am choosing with all its haze and promise.