I love paths. I just don’t see a trail. I see an adventure waiting at the other end.

Some of my childhood friends and relatives had paths around where they lived. I loved it when we scampered down those dirt trails. Being the imaginative child I was, I envisioned all kinds of wondrous places and creatures along those paths.

Of course reality was different. One time I followed my friend and her little brother up a path on the side of a ridge and behind their house. I fell and tangled with a fence. I lost, so I came back bleeding.

My favorite path was the one at my home.

When I was growing up, there was a pathway from our backdoor down to my grandparents’ house. I don’t know how many times I ran or skipped up and down it. Needless to say, it had no grass on it. Not even weeds. Against my little scurrying feet, plants didn’t stand a chance.

To me, my grandparents’ house was a wondrous place. More than mine anyway. They had the classic two story farm house that had lots of nooks, crannies, and a big attic that just begged to be explored. All I needed was a flashlight and the ability to go stealth when nobody was looking.

Then the path stopped being used.

When I was around 12, my parents decided to add on to our house. The back door I trotted out of all the time became the entrance to the new and much larger living room.

While I loved the addition to our house, I missed my trusty old path. And sadly, I was the only one in the family who did. When I said something about it, I was told it was no big deal. I could just make a new path. I didn’t want a new one. I wanted the old one.

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6 (KJV)

Why go blindly down unknown paths when you can rely on the Lord to set you on the right one? He alone is the best one to direct them. And I can guarantee, His paths do indeed lead to a wondrous place beyond our earthly comprehension.

Recently Tim and I went to a restaurant in Townsend. There, I found a pamphlet to a secluded bed and breakfast in Wears Valley. I simply couldn’t resist the urge to explore, so Tim and I followed the directions to get there. Too bad it didn’t recommend using a jeep.

The single car road wasn’t much bigger than some paths. And it went up the side of a mountain. Literally. A few times it felt as if we were driving straight up. I worried about my car’s ability to pull up the steep slope, especially since there was no place to stop or turn around.

Upon reaching the top, I felt like a kid again. I told Tim, “It’s as if we found a hidden castle in the forest.” The B&B was a massive 3 story stone building. We got out to look around and the view was absolutely breathtaking.

Best of all, I didn’t fall into a fence and bleed on this path.