 Welcome back to Conversations with Carrie. I want to talk to you today about my latest blog. And y'all gonna have to excuse me. I have an invisible line. And when I tell you I'm so tired of having this in my mouth, it was supposed to be a five and a half month journey. It has been over a year. I'm just ready to have this out of my mouth so I can have my teeth back and not have a list. But I will say I like what it did for my smile. But anyway, I recently wrote a blog and I wanted to kind of share it on here around the road less traveled. And this actually came out of I was working out doing my Peloton workout. And one of the instructors was like, who are you when things get hard? And this is as I'm literally on the treadmill. She had us on 12 and a half incline. And I wanted to hold on to the bar so hard. Because I'm like, I'm tired. And I just felt like I'm just, listen, working out this this Christmas season has been a little challenging for me. But I was doing a hike on Thanksgiving morning. And there was like so many families out like I mean, everybody named mama must have had the same idea. Like let's go on the hike to this like local reservoir and enjoy the sunshine. It was like a beautiful day. But anyway, and I've done this hike several times. It's like a little paved road that circles around the reservoir. And as I'm going around, I see for the first time, I saw these little like paths that ventured out from the path I was on. Now keep in mind, the path I was on was paved in some areas. It got like a little dirt, but like it was mainly a paved road. It was wide. I know exactly the route I wanted to take and how to get there. And I don't know why I've never noticed this before, but off to the side, I would see like a little dirt path that would take me off in a different direction. And the first one I saw was a really steep hill. And the first I was like, Oh, I'm gonna do this hill and like burn some extra calories. But then I was like, I don't know where it's gonna take me. I don't know what's on the other side of the hill. It was so steep. I couldn't even see the other side. And I was like, Yeah, nah, I'm doing that. I'm not I'm not doing that. So I was like left alone, talked to myself out of it. And I was like, you know, kept on going. I was feeling good. I was like, No, I know this path. I know this path is paved. It's safe. I'm gonna stay on this path. And then I came across another one. Now this time the path was actually flat, but it curved around this bend. And there was like some trees and stuff. And I didn't know where it curves around to now keep in mind. I've also never been on this path before. And I was like, and I thought for a second, like, can I just go on that path? But I was like, who's gonna be on it? Well, you know, I'm a woman out here by myself. And the page role where there are a bunch of people was really, you know, there was a bunch of people and was populated. And I'm like, I can be safer here. So I kept walking. But as I kept walking, and I didn't take either one of these paths, I felt like a conviction from the Lord, because I was choosing the safer route. I didn't want to take the harder way, or I didn't want to take the unknown way. And I felt like the Lord was like, carry for what I've called you to, for what I want you to do in this life, and the things I'm gonna need you to say, you're gonna have to be willing to get on the unpaved, unknown path, and trust that I'm with you, and trust that I'm walking with you, and I'm guiding your path, not you. Chow, and I'm like, I love the Lord. He will talk to you at any time. And I realized one of the reasons I didn't want to take those paths, because I was like, maybe they're harder. I felt like I liked my version of hard. I was okay with my, my paved road where I saw other people on. But you know what, in this walk of Christianity and living for the Lord, he's gonna take you on some paths that it's gonna be you and him. And I've had so many seasons like that. And you would think by now I would be prepared for it. But I realized that sometimes I go towards what's easy. I go towards what's comfortable. And that was conviction for me. I was like, Lord, forgive me for not being willing. And I know that you might be like, carry your over spiritualizing your workout. Listen, the Lord will talk to you whenever, wherever, whatever way he wants to. Okay. And he just kind of told me like, listen, I'm going to need you to trust me no matter what the path looks like. You're going to have to know that I'm with you. And just as Proverbs three, five, six talks about not leaning to your own understanding, but acknowledging God in all your ways so he can direct and lead your path. That's what came to mind. I was like, I'm going to have to allow the Lord to lead me no matter what. So my challenge to you is who are you when things get hard? Do you take the easy route? Like I did. Do you take the safer route? Like I did because I'm like, I know what that is. Or do you think to yourself, Lord, you've got me as long as you're with me, the hard will be worth it. The hard because I don't know. I don't know what I missed out that day. I'm actually going to go back to that path and take one of those maybe both of those paths. Because I'm like, what did I miss out on? Maybe I missed on burning a few more calories or just a beautiful view of the Bay. I'm not sure, but I feel like as long as I know the God is with me, I want to actually show him Lord, I'll be willing to take the unknown paths. I'll be willing to go on the road less traveled as long as you're with me. Because I have in this walk, so many times had to surrender what I thought things were going to look like and what I thought that, you know, I wanted it to be. And instead just be like, you know what, Lord, lead me. I think it was Tasha Cobb's Leonard who once talks about and want her CDs about how she just walks in the fog and the Lord is her light and like, you know, he's her fog light. And at first I was like, child, I don't even know where I'm going. But no, I get it now. It's like, I want to go on the paths maybe they're less traveled that may not seem safer. But I know that Lord is with me. So I'm safe. I have provision for the vision. That's what my pastor preached to her recently. And I was like, yes, the Lord will give me provision for the vision. Because it's his vision. Everything I'm everything I'm doing is for him. And he's not going to leave me down the path and just leave me there. I have felt like that once before I was like, Lord, like, how did you let me get this far down the road? But truly it was my own desires that were leading me. And this time I'm like, Lord, no, I want to be led by you. I want the Holy Spirit Spirit is promising. And I know that he's with me. And I can go on any path that he has set for me. So again, I think as you finish out this this year, finish out 2023, think to yourself, who am I when things get hard? Will I take the road less traveled? Or will I take the easy, safer route? All right, y'all, check out this blog also on carrylee.com. But be sure to like and subscribe here and let me know who are you when things get hard. See you next time.