path.

"Every path He guides us on is fragrant with His loving-kindness."

Early this morning, I reached yet again for this reminder - printed in little black swirls across a field of floral, ceramic greenery. I can always tell on the days I need to be reminded. My hand knows before my heart does as I reach seemingly absent-minded for that one specific mug. As my coffee cup was being filled, a sudden longing overcame me for a different type of filling - a soul filling.  I was caught off guard by the sudden sigh that escaped when I read those words. How long had I been holding in that breath?

Sometimes I have a hard time believing - believing that on every path, I am led by bonds of Love (Hosea 11:4). Sometimes I stand and look out at the path before me. I feel strongly that He is the One who brought me here yet somehow am paralyzed with fear in moving forward. I look out and see only uncertainty and unknown and potential risks. I see all the ways I could get lost or fall down or be broken. My vision gets clouded with "what if" and "it wasn't suppose to be this way".

Yet, I feel Him beckoning me, calling me out into the depths of His love. This reminder quiets the wild thumping of my heart as I realize that the only thing left to do is embrace what He has laid out before me - even when I can't be sure of what it will entail.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) Easier said then done. Even still - it must be done. I have found that when I am faithful to walk down the unseen path, when I believe just enough to put one foot in front of the other, when I trust that He will be with me always - even to the end of the ages (Matthew 28:20) - when I am brave enough to lean into the fear of uncertainty...He meets me there and carries me through the days and weeks and years to come.

So as I stand before my path today, looking out at the giant question mark that stares me back in the face - I look to His truth to light each step and I simply do the next thing. And right now that next thing is filling up another cup of coffee and breathing in the sweetest of all reminders:

"Every path He guides us on is fragrant with His loving-kindness."

(Psalm 25:10a)