The Freedom Trail

It has been way too long since I have written. June has been filled with trainings and travels to trainings. This week I had the joy of traveling to Boston for training. The days were filled with intense learning at Hahvad (that is Bostonian for Harvard) and the evenings were filled with as much exploration as we could squeeze in before we fell over in exhaustion. It was an amazing week.

Among the many things we saw and learned, an afternoon spent following an old cobblestone path was one of my favorite. Google "Top 10 Things to See and Do in Boston" and without a doubt you will see The Freedom Trail. This 2.5 mile path of red cobblestones will lead you to 16 of the cities famous historical landmarks. Follow the path and you are guaranteed to see some amazing sights, veer from it and you could miss some national treasures by just passing on the wrong side of the street. As I walked the trail, I couldn't help but think about the similarities to the trail of life.


Thousands of people milled about the area with us as we walked, and yet some arrived at different destinations. You see, they were not intent on following the trail, they were just out for a walk. We looked as if we were moving towards the same destinations, yet only those who were intent on staying on course made the full excursion. Life can be like that. You have to be intentionally focused on staying on the path. It is easy to get caught up in the flow of the crowd and make the wrong turn. One wrong turn and you miss the best stuff!

The sights along the path were breathtaking; churches with unbelievable detail, markers with historical facts and stories, cemeteries with the markers of men and women who formed our country. Each turn in the path held a sight that took my breath, but you know that I could have missed it all if I hadn't been looking as I traveled. How sad that would be to be on the right path, but missing the sights because I wasn't watching for them, because I was moving too fast, because I was focused on the wrong things.

Finally, there was the irony of this tourist adventure. The walk is called the Freedom Trail and yet to fully experience it, you have to follow a narrow path. Reminds me of the Christian walk. Matthew 7:14 says, "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Some people view the Christian walk as restrictive and limiting, but it, too is a Freedom Trail leading to sights you don't want to miss. What may seem limiting is actually a guide to experiencing life to the fullest! There truly is freedom in the trail!

I hope that in my journey down the Freedom Trail of life that I am intentional about where I am going and watching for the beautiful sights as I travel and I hope that you are intentionally walking with me for this path may be narrow, but it will lead us on the greatest adventure of all!