We Make the Path by Walking

A Spanish poet, Antonio Machado, is credited with these words: "Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar." which translates to “Traveler, there is no path; we make the path by walking.”

These words (the English ones!) ring in my brain each time I see a path. It wasn’t there until someone started to walk and others followed. With each subsequent use, the path became more pronounced.

Our pasture has many, many cow paths. Each year, the cows make a new one – right beside the one from the previous year. By midsummer, the path is well-worn. There is no doubt that it is this year’s path.

Many verses in the Bible that talk about paths, but today, this one stands out for me -- Proverbs 4:26 “Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.”

Sometimes it’s not until I have walked for quite some time on a particular path, that I realize I shouldn’t be there. Who needs the grief that comes from trying to navigate a difficult or even treacherous path?

This summer, I’ve been working on a very difficult job. It will take several months to complete, and I can get quite cranky about it if I let myself ‘walk that path’. Daily (sometimes many times a day) I have to remind myself that because I make a path by walking, I am in control of where that path will be. I have to refuse to ‘walk’ in that territory that leads me to “Crankyville”.

The Bible also has good advice for this in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

Thank you, Father, for these reminders. Help me to choose my steps and thoughts according to your Word.

Clearing Out

Since moving out here to the end of the road, I’ve found that I don’t get to town very often. It’s not that it’s a great distance, but it seems a bit of a nuisance when I’m busy. Very often, meals are based on what I have on hand rather than what I’d like to serve. After a couple of weeks without groceries, the combinations can be very odd.

Often, I’ll be in the middle of a recipe only to discover that I’m missing several ingredients. Now, good cooks would know how to substitute, but I’ve never claimed to be accomplished in that department. I remember once substituting pancake flour for regular flour in a bread recipe. I won’t try that again!

Last night at 10:30, I was putting together a sauce for a slow-cooker rib dish. Two cups of barbeque sauce shouldn’t be too hard to come by – especially in this house. My husband loves to barbeque and tries new sauces all the time. I opened the fridge and started pulling out bottles of sauce. They were everywhere – in the back and the front, on the top shelf and on the bottom, and even some on the door. I giggled when I saw the 6 bottles lined up on the counter. No two the same!

Some were 1/4 full, but most had just a couple of spoonfuls. No way was I going to be able to get two cups of a single variety.

I had two choices: I could make a trip to town (1/2 hour each way) to the 24-hour grocery store to buy even more barbeque sauce to add to our growing collection or I could 'make do'. I chose the latter.

“I’ll just use ‘em all and hope there will be enough, ” I thought. (My mom would be so proud!) I have no idea how much of each one I used – I just kept pouring until the last bottle was empty and I had the required 2 cups!

I tried it just now and I'm happy to report that it is delicious --even though (perhaps because?) it is made up of 6 different varieties of barbeque sauce! The down side is that I’ll never be able to replicate it. I have no idea how much of each one I used.

But the real bonus is that I have room in my fridge again!

This morning I was thinking about that extra room in my fridge and hoping I can keep it.

How often my life is that way. I fill it up with bits of this and that, lots of busyness and things that don’t really matter. I can feel packed and cluttered and gasping for air before long. How about you? Are you managing balance in your life? Do you have room to hear the Master’s voice?

In Luke 10: 38-42 we read, “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”


Thank you, Lord, for this reminder to clear out the distractions of my life so that I, too, can choose what is better.