Alicia Taylor

Pathways
 
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  
-1 Thessalonians 5:11
 
As Christians, we are each on a spiritual journey, and that road may take us in many directions.  Some circumstances will be beyond our control, while others will be based on decisions we make - both right and wrong.
 
When we are young adults, we may dream about our futures, thinking that our lives will follow a predictable path, but often the reality is far different.  Sometimes our journeys take a turn we never expected and certainly didn't plan for, and it is comforting at those times to know that we never walk alone.
 
In the "Footprints" poem, we are reminded that when life is tough Christ carries us, but so too do our brothers and sisters in Christ who come alongside us, help us, and encourage us through times when we might wish to give up.  Sometimes there will be people who are instrumental in helping us, and at other times there will be those who simply walk alongside us as we journey together. 
 
The Apostle Paul admonished the members of the Church at Thessalonica to edify one another, to pray for one another, to encourage and not judge one another, and to be patient and accepting of one another.  God created us to be in fellowship with a community of believers.  We all will stumble from time to time, so take comfort in the hand of another and walk together children to the Promised Land.

Prayer for Today

Lord, thank you for the people you send to walk this journey with us.  Thank you that you promise never to leave us, no matter what direction our paths take.  Amen.