The Journey


Reflections by the Sea © Betsy Ore Glass
March 04, 2009

For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. –Deuteronomy 30:16 NIV

There are so many paths, walkways and little bridges on the Outer Banks leading to the sea. Each one seems unique and constructed to accommodate the lay of the land. Some are straight and some are crooked. Some have stairs and some do not. Occasionally, benches are built as part of the walkways for those moments to sit a spell. Thankfully, some walkways are made for the handicapped to access so they too can enjoy the sea breeze and smell of salt air with a view from the top of the dunes. One day recently I set out to journey on as many walkways as I could. I had my camera and was looking for that perfect view to snap my photograph. I came to realize that every place I went was spectacular. Even though each walkway, path and bridge was different, they were similar in the fact that they all led to the ocean.

The dictionary says that journey is a process or course, a passage. It is the distance traveled or an act of traveling from one place to another. The journey that our own lives takes often resembles some of the walkways we see on the Outer Banks. Some times our lives will run along straight and all of a sudden, something happens and our lives take a turn in a different direction. There are twists and turns along the way which makes the journey a challenge sometimes and a joyful experience at other times. We have all experienced this. Sometimes the journey takes us high and sometimes it takes us down low. What lies before us can often seem overwhelming. But God wants to remind us that He leads us and He walks beside us. He is always there. With one step at a time, we will get to where we are going on our journey, while taking comfort that the course we are on leads to God.