My walk to the lake spurred me to think about life. Along the way there are times of smooth strolling, but when it was rough I have to watch my step. With every step I make a choice that affects the rest of my walk.

The brisk morning air that beautiful day was cool and refreshing. The once bold green of summer was fading to fall colors and the trees were turning shades of brown, orange, red, and yellow. As I walked toward the lake I was reminded of how great our God is and that he is in control of even the smallest detail. It gives me a sense of peace knowing that he is in control of everything. Life is busy enough and finding time to just relax and enjoy the beauty nature is rare. The never ending pressures of school and homework combined with volleyball makes for many late nights. I sometimes wish I could give up and not care anymore, but that’s not me.

To get a better view of the lake, I had to take a small trail off of the beaten path. The trail was hard to spot in the tall grass that leaned over it. It is difficult to keep straight A’s and stick to my morals and values with all the pressure to conform to this post-Christian society in which we live. One time in youth group, Michelle Fritze held up her hand and told us that her hand represented the two paths we can choose to take in life. The thumb is the Christian way of life, sticking to our good morals and values, but the other four fingers making up the other path was the easier way to go. It is the road where morals aren’t valued anymore. People are self-focused and believe in science rather than following God’s rules. This is what most of our post-Christian society chooses to follow. The path in life has a fork in the road. If I stayed on the mowed path that everyone took, I would just keep going around in a circle repeating the same things over and over again, much like life can be at times. But when I went off onto the small trail leading to the the beautiful lake, choosing not to conform became worth it.

There are times that I have stumbled or wandered back to the worn path. These choices don’t faze most of my peers, but I know they are wrong. I am the person that never gets invited to things because I don’t drink, have sex, or do drugs. But, that’s okay because I am walking the path I chose.

I’ve found that I am easily distracted, and I look for reasons to put things off until later and procrastinate longer. The social media world creates a lot of those distractions for me. Sitting in the refreshing morning air with no phone meant no distractions. The ferns in front of where I sat on a fallen tree were turning yellow. The dewy grass on the unkept trails made my shoes wet. On the southwest side of the lake the water was covered with glistening ripples and on the northern edge, where I sat, the water was calm. Every once in awhile, a bitter breeze disturbed the calm. Where I was sitting, a few trees blocked the view of the lake, but when the sun smiled through the trees like a spotlight it made the blue water dance.

It was refreshing to enjoy a morning in nature with all of its beauty. The walk was an adventure much like my life. I’m not sure where the road I chose will lead me, but with every step I take there is a new experience, a new challenge, a new memory. The path I’m walking is like no other.