“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”  Phil 3:17

Whenever a person or animal walks through the woods, tracks are left behind.  Sometimes the trail is clear and other times it is very subtle, but if a person knows what to look for, there is always some evidence that someone or something has passed by.  In a very real sense, our “walk through life” leaves tracks in much the same way.

Some people leave nothing but misery in their wake.  The “path of destruction” trailing their lives might include broken relationships, wounded hearts, or even dysfunctionality.  Others leave behind good things: kindness, love, and warm memories.  These “tracks” become the legacy of a person’s life and define forever how they will be remembered.

But there is another function of “tracks”- they provide a path for others to follow.  As we walk through life, are others following in our very footsteps?  Would we want others to walk life’s road down the same path we have trod?  These questions are sobering and of eternal significance.  Our personal virtue or vice will ALWAYS affect more than just ourselves.  This can be a powerful motivation to live right and prioritize our lives, as we ask ourselves, “What kind of trail am I leaving behind?” 

Kerry

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

As I held my son for the first time, my world spun in dazed excitement.  My wife and I had been told by the doctors that he, our third and last child, would be born a girl.  We already had two beautiful daughters, and although we had initially hoped for a son, we had accepted and become excited about the coming addition of another sweet daughter.  Yet there I stood, holding 10 pounds, 2 ounces of proof that God was still in control of all things.

That day illustrated for us one of the beautiful truths of God.  He makes all things new, and in the process, provides us with the wondrous and unexpected!  As the writer of Lamentations said, “His compassions fail not, they are new every morning!”  (Lamentations 3:22-23)  With God, every new circumstance, every new life, and every new day are all filled with the glorious promise of possibility!

So what does that say for us?  We have all been “born again” in Christ.  We have been “made new.”   Shouldn’t we lay aside the despair that often clouds our minds and see life as a glorious road filled with grand adventure and beauty?  With this mindset we can face any obstacle and ask with anticipation, “I wonder what good things God has in store for me tomorrow?” 

Kerry