'Slipping and Sliding'

“…If you and I are serious about following Jesus…the path we have to follow is not smooth but is like going out to walk today with all the snow and ice on the sidewalks, slipping and sliding. It is not going to be a uniform path to follow, but then it never is…”

(Lifted from a sermon heard on January 26, 2014)

I grew up in a small village in central Ontario, where the winter meant lots of snow at a time when sidewalk plows were virtually unheard of. We walked [or perhaps trudged is a better word] through the snow to school, to our activities, and yes, even to church. It was exhilarating, wrapped in scarves and layers of mittens to brave the elements!

The amount of snow this winter brings back those memories. But my arthritic knee and ankles don’t find the same joy in walking on our plowed sidewalks and snow-blown lane ways. In fact I find myself paying for an extended foray out into the world of ice and snow with increased stiffness and pain the next day. Gone too are the days of walking through the knee-deep snow not knowing [or caring] what lay underneath. So I must admit I’m finding it increasingly difficult this winter to force myself to go outdoors.

But it took the line above, lifted from that sermon, to make me consider how this is also a reflection on where I am in my spiritual journey. Gone are the days when I ‘knew’ what I was required to believe and what I needed to do to be ‘saved’. Gone too are the days of not questioning, of certain belief in the creeds and tenets of the Church. Welcome to the day of doubts, of being unable and unwilling to go back to the surety of days past. My ’spiritual knee’ aches and complains mightily some days. There are times when going ahead on this path just seems to demand too much of me; when I long for the safety and security of that smooth and even path. But then I look at the companions I have on this slippery and uneven path and realize I am not alone. And I think instead about how I feel more alive, more present, more fully who I am meant to be, than ever before. Yes it can be treacherous, it can hold surprises that are not always pleasant, and it can pose challenges, but the rewards for ‘the slipping and the sliding’ are even greater.

How is the walk on your path this week?

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