Ponder the Path of Your Feet

Ponder the Path of Your Feet.  The scene is tender; a wise father distributes advice to his young son long before he needs it (Prov. 4:20-27). Generalities are sufficient to illuminate the way ahead since no child is a specialist … not yet. The ABCs and 123s of walking the path set before that son in the ancient past are the same principles for any son or daughter today. “My son, be attentive to my words” (Prov. 4:20a). In this case, Solomon’s words are God’s words. Solomon links walking the wise path to using the physical body skillfully: “incline your ear” (vs. 20), “let them not escape your sight” (vs. 21), “keep your heart” (vv. 21, 23), “put away from you crooked speech” (vs. 24), “let your eyes look directly forward” (vs. 25), “ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure” (vs. 26). “Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil” (vs. 27).

It is rare genius to extract life lessons from common sense. Wisdom usually flows from the known to the unknown. In this case, physical walking informs spiritual walking. Solomon does not instruct his young son, ponder your feet on the path; rather, ponder the path of your feet. The destination determines the path. Watching our feet ensures stumbling. Look ahead to stay upright!

Approximately every quarter we ponder the path of our feet, like re-centering our location on the GPS map. We look ahead for the purpose of staying upright. Watching our spinning feet ensures our spectacular stumbling. Where are we going? Our destination determines our path. How will we know we are on the right path? We will “incline our ear” to the word of God.

Our church is one of those hidden gems that embodies the saying: strategically small, intentionally simple. As such, we are generalists, not specialists. Every person plays his or her part, but his or her part is always in flux according to the needs of the many. During some seasons, some people will clean the church. In other seasons, they will teach children. In a pinch, they will advance the slides for the worship songs. Pondering the path of your feet, to extend the metaphor, might mean going south for a little while, across the river, to proceed east. Service of others is the perennial need in the strategically small and intentionally simple church, not necessarily a sense of personal fulfillment in ministry. We are all utility players here. But this is not a chore; it is a gift! We all get to play a part! Every member has a ministry.