Walking with Ryan

My son and I went for a walk the other day to the corner market, to get a couple drinks.  He talked as we walked through a parking lot, heading for a narrow gap in a chain link fence.  At one point I had to grab his shoulder to point him in the right direction, because he kept drifting into me.  It was a bit annoying, since there was only one obvious exit.  But, he's only 10, and was talking at the same time.  I can't really expect him to walk in a straight line while his mouth is open.

I find the same thing happens in life, in general.  I found myself walking beside other people, metaphorically speaking.  We may or may not be headed to the same place, but we are beside each other for a few days, weeks, or even years.  (Its hard to believe my wife and I have been walking side by side for close to two decades.  I'm just not old enough to have been married that long.)

Some of the people I walk with wobble back and forth, getting in my way.  I'm heading for a specific place in life, and they're steppng in front of me, veering into my path, or forcing me off the sidewalk altogether.  Most of the time, this is unintentional.  For example, I want to be a writer, a real writer who spends his days at home ... um ... writing.  However, my boss won't pay me if I don't show up for work.  See, this is what I'm talking about.  How can I follow my dreams if I'm expected to spend so much time at work?  Of course, there are other drains on my time, energy, and money.  All of these 'things' force me off my elected path.

The same can be said of my spiritual life.  I want to spend more time with God, to truly grow in righteousness and grace and knowledge of God.  All those things the apostle Paul prayed for all Christians to experience.  However, I have a family, so I can't just hare off and become a monk, forsaking all the world in pursuit of spiritual perfection.  Nor can I honestly expect my family to leave me alone to just "leave me alone" while I have a quiet time spent with God.  Our house is too small for me to hide in.

Then there are 'friends' outside of my family and my church.  These are the ones who distract me, showing me other ways of spending my time and my money and my energy.  They aren't specifically targeting me and trying to draw me off the path to God.  They are more like my son, just going their own way, wobbling around, bumping into me, and subtly nudging me off the sidewalk.

Ryan and I finally made it to the corner market and got our drinks.  I knew where I was going, and guided him along the way, too.  I suppose there's a lesson in that, too.