Thursday, September 06, 2018

Spiritual Journey First Thursday: My Path

When I read the email from Donna giving the topic for this month, "My Path," the first thing I thought of was the verse from Psalm 119: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

You can tell that this comes from early in my life, because I memorized it in the King James Version with all the thees and thous.  This verse is also a song, which ensured its place in my memory.


I remember being taught as a child that the lamps referred to in this verse were little clay ones, casting a small amount of light just adequate for a few steps.  They were not spotlights or floodlights or even flashlights.  They illuminated the next tiny portion of the path, and not the entirety of the freeway.  The link under the lamp photo explains the substance of what I was taught. 


Of course, there are times when our journey is dramatic and leads us across windswept vistas.  Such journeys are best undertaken in daylight, and a camera crew would be a big plus.  This verse is talking about stumbling around at home, in the place you know best, where it's easiest to step on a Lego and get mad at whoever left it there.  I don't know about you, but the majority of my spiritual issues are the ones on that path: irritation with the people in my life, jealousy of the people in my life, lack of love for the people in my life.  A predictable path where perhaps I'd prefer the unpredictable one, populated with camel trains and exciting tasks and romantic strangers.

But no, my path is so often the same from one day to the next, facing the same temptations and the same challenges, needing the flashes of light that will give me just enough guidance for that moment, if I will pay attention.

Check out Donna's blog to see what everyone else had to say about this topic. 

5 comments:

Carol Varsalona said...

Great song, Ruth, that when I listened to it carefully, I was immersed in a spiritual state. I think your thought on daily irritants is a common one. I surely can relate to that so thank you for shedding light on how we can illuminate our path.

Irene Latham said...

Thank you, Ruth, for your vulnerability and humility... we are all learning, and no one ever promised us smooth sailing all the time... so glad our paths merged here in cyberspace. xo

Donna Smith said...

The day to day is a challenging enough path, for sure! I love the verse you quoted - almost used it, too. And the song is also one I have a fondness for. Thanks for sharing your path today. I'd never seen those shell-like lamps before!

Patricia J. Weaver said...

The day to day challenge is the rough part of the path... keep taking steps it will get better

Ramona said...

Just catching up after a camping trip last week. I love the pics you provided of the clay lamps that illuminate a tiny portion of the path a little at a time. The verse from Psalm 119 that you shared is a personal favorite. These words from your post resonated with me: "...my path is so often the same from one day to the next, facing the same temptations and the same challenges, needing the flashes of light that will give me just enough guidance for that moment, if I will pay attention."