Faith

Sometime last week I was sitting at Starbucks (my office), working on a talk, doing my thing and I get a phone call from my wife.

 "Could you pick up some milk and bread from the grocery store on your way home today?" 

"Yeah sure honey, no problem." 

Normally I drive my car but this particular day I had decided to go granola and ride my 1980's teal Fuji. It's a sick ride. Anyway, I hop on the bike to head to the grocery store and I am immediately faced with a troubling question. "Which route do I take to get to  Raley's?"  If I were in my car I know exactly which way I would go. Straight up the Esplanade, left on East. But, today I am riding my bike and I have never ridden my bike down this particular route. "Is there a bike lane? Do I ride in the road or on the sidewalk? Should I take the bike path? Etc." 

So, instead of taking this route, which is sure to be faster and more direct, assuming there are no unforeseen roadblocks or booby traps, I go the long way. Down Eighth Ave, right on Holly, right on Mission Ranch Blvd, through the back entrance. 

While I was on my way down this very indirect route I began to wonder. Why am I doing this? It's longer, further, and just plain ridiculous in light of the fact that there was almost definitely a better way, and that's when it struck me. The almost sure to be a better route was a path of faith. Confidence in the unseen. Sure, I had never ridden my bike that way before but I had more than enough evidence to conclude that it would be possible to do so.  And I did not have enough faith to take it. So, instead, I took the long, indirect, off-track, sure way. Sticking to the same roads I had ridden my bike on a hundred times before. 

Sometimes I think this is the way I approach my walk with Jesus. There is the path of faith and the known path. The path of faith is surely better but requires confidence in the unseen, of which I am in short supply. The known path may eventually get me somewhere acceptable but not necessarily as quickly or effectively as the alternative. Not to mention, "acceptable" isn't really a goal worth living for. 

How about you? What are your thoughts on faith? In what ways do you stay on the known path and where is Jesus calling you into the unknown? How have you seen the unknown path lead you to something better than you could have imagined as you journeyed down it in faith?