My Pilgrim Progress
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The cold winter evening was beset with hazards as I set out on my customary walk along the lakeside near my home in New South Wales, Australia.
The creek was overflowing after a long drought, and I could not cross it easily. I managed to find two strong sticks and endeavored to walk across a log that straddled the water. One stick broke, and I ran precariously to the other side.
My heart pounded as I nearly fell into the water with my camera and phone tied around my neck. There were giant puddles to circumnavigate, and I found myself pushing through the bushes, where wild kangaroos silently watched.
An owl hooted. Giant tree roots were exposed as I trod the path and almost tripped, only recovering my steps as I leaned on a strong stick I found beside the path.
Darkness was descending, and I could only see the path in front of me.
Finally, I came out of the darkness into the brighter street where the setting sun was casting its last bright rays across the sky. A tall pine tree, silhouetted against the red sky, told me I was out of danger and pointed the way home. I hurried on into the warmth and safety of home. As I trudged, John Bunyan’s book The Pilgrim’s Progress was on my mind.
He had encountered so many obstacles on the Christian pathway.
He had tripped, faced despair, and felt discouraged and afraid.
This had already been my journey of life, yet I knew God had kept me alive and was leading me still. I just needed to trust Him. So I choose every day to put myself into His care and love. There is nothing else I can do, nowhere else I can go to be safe.
I just tread the path—holding on to the promises in the Bible.
I remember how He has led me in the past, and I trust Him to lead me home.
Joy Marie Butler
