Yesterday we wanted to take our family on a trip to the mountains to go apple picking. We’ve done this many times before. This time we stopped at Mast General first. Who doesn’t love Mast General, right? Hendersonville is a photographers dream {just don’t go on a Saturday}.
When leaving to continue our trip to the apple orchard we set up the directions on our phone and off we went. We took out first turn and saw that our directions were taking us a way we had never been before. Me, being a photographer, and my husband, being the awesome man that he is, decided to continue on this new way. Why? Because it looked gorgeous! The trees were weeping color on the dirt roads. He pulled over and I popped out and got down to snap some photos. I ran up roads. Got down low. Tip-toed up high. Stood atop smooth rocks.
We continued driving. There were no paved roads. The map on our phone looked like embroidery. We were definitely knit within the mountain.
Then we came upon them. The horses. So peaceful. They would gently walk toward the wood fence. They knew why I was there. They posed as I snapped away.
I returned to the car and we continued on. We were only two minutes away. We turn left onto yet another dirt road. Up. Up. Up. It was then that I heard my husband, “we’re off the map.”
“What do you mean we’re off the map?”
And from that moment on we carefully backtracked down that single dirt road to get back *on* the map.
We were lost. There was no way around it. We had no idea where we were. My daughters were trying to figure out how many days we could survive on our own.
We prayed together as a family for God to guide us. Then we saw a Boy Scouts of America sign. They were having a camp out and we saw civilization! We eventually made it to the apple orchard. There were only thirty minutes left to pick so we opted to grab a bag of apples and some donuts {cause why not?}.
We made a memory. We could have taken the same route that everybody else did that day. But instead our eyes were blessed with beauty that we had never seen before. It wasn’t easy. There were times where we each experienced a depth of fear. We prayed so many times on that detour. We prayed for protection. We prayed for guidance. We prayed eucharisteo.
When you choose to take the narrow road it’s not easy to find. It’s not worn down and there aren’t large neon signs to guide you. Hardly anybody has gone before you and not many will follow.
Will you still take the narrow road?
When the world says “no” are you willing to say “yes”? Are you willing to deviate from the norm and do something amazing? What opportunities has the Lord placed before you that didn’t fit into your schedule?
Pray. Seek the Lord. Go after what will glorify Him.
If it goes against His word then I guarantee that there is no benefit to you. How do you know if it goes against His word? You get into His word. He has so many exciting adventures for you! Know that you’re gonna want to quit. It’s not easy to be the odd one out. But He loves you and will be with you every step of the way.
We learned that on our mountain adventure. We prayed. We learned to trust Him more. We certainly were learning how to have grace with each other as our fear crept in. We wanted to turn around but the farther were went the more beauty were beheld.
Take the narrow road my love. That narrow road in life. The one that has beauty around the bend that few have breathed in.
And when you do you’ll be able to encourage others to take that first step off the well beaten path.
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
Blessings!
