In any mode of transportation, going over bumps, ruts, or holes is not usually fun or comfortable. However, man has created sport out of figuring out which way is the best or most efficient way to navigate obstacles. Runners jumping hurdles, off-road cars navigating demanding terrain, steeplechase racing through various challenges, and snow skiers making their way through moguls (piles of snow created by skiers carving their way through snow). Even if you choose to face a rough road for sport, it is tough going.

I recently encountered the moguls of skiing, and to me, they are difficult, wearisome, and can even be dangerous. Picture a raised checkerboard set on an angle. The lines on the board are low, and the middle of the squares are high. One day, there were thigh-high bumps to navigate, and the next day, a skilled worker had spent hours on a tractor making these bumps into a flat surface resembling corduroy material. The hill still existed, but the bumps were gone. When skiing these “groomed” runs, so much less effort is required, mentally as well as physically. One doesn’t have to constantly watch for pitfalls and potential hazards, you can just relax and enjoy the ride. For those who have never skied, a friend likened it to her dirty kitchen – having piles and piles of dirty dishes and food on dirty counters that someone has come in and cleaned it ALL for you. I laughed when she made the analogy, but she had a point.

Whether a dirty kitchen, a ski run, a track of some kind, or life – encountering obstacles and challenges such as this, is overwhelming and daunting and brings mental chaos instead of serenity.

We have a scripture passage that says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

I heard a story while ago that suggested that in Bible times, when someone of importance was riding in a litter (a carriage carried on men’s or animals’ shoulders), a navigator would go in front, not only directing the way that the rider would go, but also clearing the path of rocks, debris, animals, and other things as well as filling in holes and making a bridge over any pitfalls that might slow the progress of the trip.

This is what God does for us when we allow Him to be our navigator through life. He levels and clears the path. He makes a way over or around pitfalls. But we have to follow Him. We have to be tuned in to His leading.

Here is the twist. The ride will still be rough at times. And there will be times we are following Him as best we can and we will still slam into a hole that feels awfully deep. Trusting in Him is the part where we don’t lean on what we might be tempted to believe about our being in that circumstance. He will work out those holes for our best and His glory. He tells us that in the world we will have trouble. But He promises He has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

When the path contains obstacles that we get hung up in, follow harder after Him. Get closer. Hang on tighter. God will still be in control and will work all things for HIS good for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) Throwback to the “TRUST” in the Lord with all our heart…” Isn’t it INCREDIBLE to know a God who knows our name, and who is ABLE to handle ANYTHING? What a comfort! It allows us to relax and enjoy the ride. So, whatever our challenge, from hurdles, to moguls, to dirty kitchen counters, we can rest in the fact that God will straighten it all out in a way, and in the timing, that is in accordance with His will.