In some instances , I left the trail to experience the thrill of true exploration . I remember as a teenager , donning camouflage to traipse with friends through the forests armed with paintball guns , imagining ourselves as soldiers in some great military campaign . On one such occasion , I ventured far off the trail - I got so lost . It took me over an hour to find out where I was , and when I finally recognized the path , it was over a mile from where I wanted to be .
Here ’ s the thing about leaving a trail . It takes a long time to walk a trail before it becomes a path . The trained eye might be able to find the signs of someone ’ s bushwhacking through the brush , but to most people , it will just look the same as any other dense part of forest .
When we consider what it means to be a disciple of Yeshua , we are first and foremost followers of the way that He walked . There are so many righteous men and women who have walked this same path . The road has become packed and sure . It is easy to follow , yet still narrow and uncompromising .
Jeremiah exhorted the people of Israel , “ Thus says Adonai : “ Stand in the roads and look . Ask for the ancient paths — where the good way is — and walk in it . Then you will find rest for your souls . But they said , ‘ We won ’ t walk in it .’”
Life in the kingdom is simple , but not easy . There are tried and true characteristics of believers who have finished well . That is my goal — after all