Glen Campbell had been singing in my head a lot lately. Like a rhinestone cowboy, I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks.
The dog has been dragging me out on a walk just about every evening this summer. We’ve tracked rabbits and picked up pop cans, but it does get to be a bit monotonous. Walking alone in the evening hours, I like to stick to familiar streets and avoid particular blocks that seem prone to nefarious activity.
We’ve gone down the same streets so much, I know the kids by name, which flowers will need watering and which dogs will bark when we pass by. On a recent walk, I thought I’d go nuts if I had to look at the same scenery again.
So I did a kind of crazy thing.
I took off to the south. I’d gone that way once before, but I’d only made it one block because there were no sidewalks, trash lining the ditches and just a general feeling of a bad neighborhood. I was ready to risk it this time.
I grasped the dog’s leash and plowed through that block. At the top of the hill waited a delightful surprise. Wide, smooth sidewalks passed through the shade of beautiful trees. Historic, stately homes had lovely yards and the neighbors were friendly. There’s even an overpass crossing the highway.
All of this I had been missing because of fear.
I’m a cautious person by nature. I easily picture people who have made rash decisions and regretted it, then tend to hold back. But there’s another danger in our walk with God.
God has vast fields of delight for us, just waiting to be explored. Too often, I miss that because I’m sticking to the same sidewalks, safe but bored out of my mind. God doesn’t necessarily command us to try new pathways, but he’s inviting me to explore more of them.
And someday, I’m gonna be where the lights are shining on me.
“You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
