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“If we have unyielding faith while moving steadily toward our intention, all that threatens us along the way will go into submission.”
A weary traveler, high in the Himalayas, was trying to reach the mountaintop when he met a sage along one of the steep, craggy paths. The frustrated, fearful traveler asked the sage which of the many paths would take him to his destination. The sage pondered, and then replied, “Simply make certain that every single step you take is in the direction of the summit, and you will get there.”
At times we’ve all felt like the weary traveler—unsure of which way to turn. The road to the summit isn’t straight and smooth. It twists and changes course, it is unfathomable, with unpredictable events around each bend. But we have sages to help us on the journey, courageous travelers whose steady steps have already marked the way. Subjected to odious acts of violence, treading the path through the blood of the slaughtered, still they held fast to their vision of freedom, their trust in our future, and their faith in God. Like Malcolm, Martin, Marcus Garvey, a woman called Moses and Mary McLeod Bethune, we must take care, no matter how winding the road, to place our feet in the direction of our intentions.
Not every wanderer is lost. Jesus wandered the desert for years, seeking the wisdom of the sages. He applied what he learned and passed quickly into Christhood. Yet we make an idol of Jesus, rather than placing our own feet in the imprint of his steps. The whole point of Jesus walking the earth was to leave us a map of his great journey to faith. Now we must follow his footsteps and trust in his words: ”It is not I, but the Father within who does the work.”
If we have an unwavering faith while moving steadily toward our intentions, all that threatens us along the way will go into submission or be revealed as the impostors they are. That’s because faith insists that we stop casting ourselves in the role of victim. It reminds us who we are and what we came here to do. It shores us up so that we stop giving our power away.