I was talking with someone yesterday about upcoming change in her life, the kind of change you purposefully make because you’ve taken inventory, weighed your options, and come to the conclusion that unless you do something different, everything will stay the same.  I’m always awed by that.  I know that feeling, have taken that kind of action, and know firsthand that any time we zig or zag off the usual beaten path in our lives it takes courage, and stamina, and effort.   The known, no matter how oppressive, how difficult, how painful, or how limiting, is at least something we know how to travel. We’ve experienced the potholes, know the bumps like the back of our hand, know when to lean left or cut right, and know all the emergency pull outs.  We know the pit stops, the scenic overlooks, the fast lanes, and the back roads.  And because we know these things, we can go on automatic cruise.  But veering off that familiar road, turning down the one less traveled, or just the one that looks so doggone appealing is…scary, exciting, and takes effort.  It’s like we have to fight to have control in steering ourselves in that chosen direction.  The awesome part is that it’s our choice to do so, and once we set our mind on that course, we can start the tick off list of things to do to prepare for that zig and make that zag.   With every check mark and milestone, we are actively changing.

Of course, whenever we zig we are faced with doubts.  Of course, we have naysayers who would rather keep us boxed into the known rather than wish us well on our new adventure.  And, of course, we find obstacles from orange cones that can be immediately moved aside to boulders that require some hard thinking to figure a way around them.  It’s all part of the dance in choosing to zig.  It cannot deter us, cannot stop us, and cannot sway our chosen path unless we allow it to do so.

There are three little squirrels zipping through the branches outside my backyard, leaping and flying, running as hard as their little legs will carry them.  Their momentum remains constant even as they approach a trunk or crossing branch that would otherwise impede their journey.  What they do when they get to that obstacle is zig left or zag right and keep moving toward their goal.

Go, squirrels, go!  Friend, I admire your courage and pray for your momentum as you traverse the path to your new destination.  I’m cheering you on, and keeping you close in prayer.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalm 18:2