In the summer of 2023, I joined a group of teenage campers on a 9-mile hike through Virginia’s “Old Rag Trail,” one of the most difficult hikes in all of the Shenandoah Valley. Old Rag is described in ways like “very strenuous” and “not to be trifled with,” but if a handful of 13-year-olds wearing retainers could handle the hike, surely, I could manage it. On that beautiful June morning as the sun shone brightly in all its brilliance, I jumped onto the trail with adrenaline in my veins and eagerness in my step. I anticipated the camaraderie and inspiring team-building that this day would hold. 

The instructor informed us that the hike would take an estimated seven hours to complete, which is why I felt disheartened as I reached 30 minutes into the experience, facing exhaustion like I’d never felt before in my life. I sat breathlessly, panting on a rock, and watched in dismay as teenage girls blazed the trail ahead still carrying on full conversations about Ed Sheeran while I wondered if I was breathing my final breaths. In desperation, I told a fellow chaperone at one point, “Just leave me here. This is where it ends for me.” 

While my intentions were admirable, I was sure at that moment I had made a mistake and overestimated the time I had spent in the gym last week. At my stamina level, I wasn’t ready for this hike. I ignored the cautionary tales and sage wisdom of the more experienced hikers who had tackled the Old Rag Trail before me. On the trail that day, I became familiar with the tried-and-true phrase, “Hike your own hike.” Regardless of the pace of the travelers around you, keep your focus on the hike that you’ve been led to and enjoy the experience. That was the entire point of the hike in the first place: to enjoy it. 

As followers of Christ, we will see moments on our path with God where our eyes are tempted to drift to the left and right, surveying the pace of others around us to gauge whether or not we are “keeping up” with them. For those like me who are prone to wander in this way, David encourages us with God’s guidance in Psalm 23:3, saying, “He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

As our shepherd, God does not only lead us into a bright path and hope for the best. His word promises us that God goes ahead of us, and guides us on specific and unique paths that have been laid out for us before we were formed. The path that’s best for you is the one that walks in the will of God. He may not always reveal that path, but we must lean into His voice, trusting that the Good Shepherd has good plans that He will lead us to at just the right time.

Dig Deeper

God’s ways are not our ways, and we can trust that His way is best. As we begin this new year, posture yourself in a way that shows that belief. Keep your eyes on Jesus, not letting your eyes wander to the left and right. 

Daily Readings

This article was originally titled “Good Plans” in the January 2025 issue of Peer.