Walk With God

“Onward, Christian soldiers!” a big voice announced over the ring of bicycle bells and eager chatter of voices. Abby adjusted her bicycle helmet. She had been looking forward to this church bike ride for weeks now!

Before long, the group started out. Thick woods lined the paved trail on one side, and a tall chain-link fence on the other. The group crested a little hill that led to a big dip, and Abby reached the bottom first, where she disembarked to explore. That was where she spotted a bone beside the path! I wonder if a large animal left it here, she thought with a little shiver.

The rest of the group didn’t pause, so she jumped on her bike and raced after her friends. After going for several miles, someone suggested they turn around. When she spotted her mom also making a U-turn, Abby felt a twinge of disappointment. “Do we really have to go back, Mom?”

“Honey, my legs are going to give out if we go much farther,” Mom said with a laugh. “Besides, your dad and little brother are in the car in the parking lot, waiting for us.”

Abby’s eyes suddenly brightened. “Mom, is it all right if I ride ahead of the group?” With a fresh burst of energy she cycled around the first corner. She felt very independent and strong as she rounded the next bend; then she noticed how empty the trail was. Cars whizzed past beyond the chain-link fence, and shadows in the dark woods lengthened on her right.

Maybe I should turn around and go back, she wondered. But no, the parking lot must be around the next bend. I’m almost there!

Remember this: You have never gone too far to come home.

Minutes passed, and no parking lot came into view. She cycled faster as she realized that she was alone on the trail, and her heart thumped when two bicyclists appeared and passed her with a nod. Then she noticed a hill ahead—and remembered the bone. How could she have forgotten? But I’ve gone too far to go back, she panicked. I’ve just gone too far.

She prayed that no wild animal prowled nearby. For a fleeting second she imagined that a mountain lion crouched beside the path. And then in a blur she was past the scary place. It felt like an eternity before she spotted the parking lot. Wonderful sight! She raced to her dad’s car and explained what had happened.

Sometime later she saw a lone figure in the distance, running toward the mouth of the trail. It was Mom—breathless and crying. Abby ran to meet her. “Oh, Abby, I’m so glad that you’re safe,” she said as she hugged her. “Why did you go ahead of me?”

“I’m so sorry, Mama,” she confessed with tear-filled eyes. “I asked you if I could bicycle ahead, didn’t I?”

“You did,” she said. “But you didn’t wait for my reply.”

Have you ever run ahead of God? Learn from Abby’s error; you’ll save yourself a lot of heartache and pain if you never leave to begin with! You need never walk the trail alone! The devil will whisper a lot of lies into your ears during your lifetime, so remember this: You have never gone too far to come home. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, what you’ve seen, what others have said, or what you might think—Jesus values you. “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love,” He says (Jer. 31:3). He wants to be your companion. Will you walk with Him? If so, give Him your hand and your heart—and look forward to the future, because your life’s mission has only begun!