Two weekends ago, I was able to get away for a personal pray retreat. I stayed at Bonclarken in Flat Rock, NC - it is a Presbyterian retreat center.... quite lovely!
The accomodations were nice, and I spent some great time in the Word and in prayer.
My last morning there - I took a hike around the Carl Sandburg estate. The scenery was beautiful - and I headed out on a trail after studying the map... the trail took me over little glassy mountain. As I hiked along the trail, my focus was on the path - because there were lots of leaves and it was slippery. At one point, I looked up and realized I was on the top of the mountain, and had almost missed it! How many times does that happen in life? We get so consumed by the path - our circumstances, the difficulties - when if we just look UP - our perspective would be so different. The trail hadn't changed - it was still hard to see and there were still slippery leaves and twisted roots to trip me up - but my perspective had changed. 
As I started back down the mountain, I cam to a sign - which clearly indicated that the way back to the house was right. By this point, the map was a bit fuzzy in my mind, so against every intuition, I went right, obeying the sign. But five minutes later, I was having an argument in my mind about this not being the right way. I longed for a map to set me straight - and finally decided to turn around and go the other direction. By this point, I was feeling a little nervous - not sure if I was on the right path, running out of time to get back for check out of the retreat center, and by myself on a mountain! That's when it hit me - how much like life this is... we get up, maybe have a quiet time - and the Word makes sense at that point. We strike out into the day with our "map" in mind - but it doesn't take too long down the path, before a sign tells us to go a direction that doesn't seem right, even though it points toward where we want to go.
We mustn't forget that the enemy prowls around seeking to devour and destroy - and he disguises himself as "light" - as helpful signs - that get us off the straight and narrow path. Ps. 1:2 says Blessed is the man who's delight is in the law [instruction] of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
Thankfully, even though I couldn't remember the map exactly, I had studied it enough to have a good sense of direction. I obeyed the promptings of the Spirit to turn around, and I made it back to the parking lot in due time. May the same be said of our daily walk with the Lord... let us be in His Word, burying it into our hearts; let us be sensitive to His leadings and promptings, and may we keep our focus upward on the joy that is set before us.
