Through the Fog

The last few weeks I have gone hiking twice where it became foggy around me. As I did so I was reminded of an experience I had years ago while living in Southern California.

At the time, I was only living a few miles from where I worked in a small business complex. As I headed outside that morning I was barely able to see across the street because the fog was so thick.

I had to be very careful maneuvering out of the neighborhood. The main street had two lanes each way and in order to see where I was going and stay in a straight line I had to straddle the dotted line between the two lanes going my way.

I had made this trip a hundred times before, but now all of a sudden my way was blocked by a wall of fog. However, I could see small signs along the way that helped guide me forward.

Through the gloom I could see the faint signal helping me to know I was at the next major intersection. The lighted sign of a business shone through allowing me to keep moving forward. Then I saw the large shadowed silhouette of trees looming through the fog which let me know that I was by the large park that was near my office.

As I turned into a driveway I could see the fog swirling around the parking lot lights and knew I had finally arrived.

Looking back on this experience I can realize that no matter how thick the fog was, my destination was still there and the sun was still above me, it was just blocked momentarily by the fog. 

But by paying careful attention to a few markers along the way I was still able to make it through safely. 

In our life we may encounter moments of fog that appear to blog our progress. But we too can get help from small markers along the way. A phone call from a friend, a short prayer to our Heavenly Father, awareness of other blessings around us, words of inspiration in a scripture, and keeping faith that our destination is still there.

God’s word is tailor-made for gray-slush days. It sends a beam of light through the fog. It signals safely when we fear we’ll never make it through.

Charles R. Swindoll

The “foggy” trial and circumstance we may periodically find ourselves in is as temporary as the fog blocking the sunshine on my way to work that day. It will lift, and when it does we can find ourselves in one of two places. We will still be on the same true path forward or we can be diverted and be lost.

To stay on the right path during these difficult times we need to focus on things of eternal nature. Just as the sun is still there behind the fog, the eternal Son of god, Jesus Christ is always shinning and ready to reach out and help us if we stay focused on him.

Jesus Christ is the Light and Life of the world. Let him walk before you and he will light the way.