Choose To Trust

Throughout Bilbo’s adventure in The Hobbit, you’ll find a number of moments where he finds himself thinking about his home when things start to get hard.

He reminisces on how nice it would be to just turn around and head back to his cozy hobbit hole at Bag End where he can get back into his old routine.

Anyone else felt this before? 🙋🏻‍♂️

We start questioning the path we’re on as soon as we hit a rough patch or have a hard decision to make and just want to pack it up and go home.

We start to ask ourselves: 

Why am I putting myself through this?

How did I get here?

Is it really worth it?

There has GOT to be an easier way...

We are constantly being tempted back toward comfort and what we know. 

We, as people, highly value safety.

So when Bilbo and Company reach the Dark Forest and see this major hurdle they have to get over, they start to question whether or not they should continue on.

Who wouldn’t? 

He turns and asks Gandalf if there might be ANY other way?

There’s gotta be a workaround.. 

Bilbo wants the good stuff without the hard stuff.. The reward without the work.. Confidence without faith..

We all want the easier road if possible. The path of least resistance is a nice place to be. 

But unfortunately, traveling through the Dark Forest is the ONLY way sometimes. 

And this is true for us too.

Sometimes the difficult path is the only way that leads us to where we ultimately want to end up.

So in those moments of doubt and temptation to turn back, we have to learn to trust that our guide has led us here on purpose..

Otherwise, we may turn back and forfeit the life that could have been.. 

We’ve got to learn to be at ease and trust that God has led us to the best path possible and that he is going to be faithful in seeing us through. 

The hardest part in these moments, and what Bilbo struggles with at the edge of the forest, is the inability to see what lies ahead. 

It looks like only danger and despair.

His mind immediately goes to all the bad things that might happen to him in there.

But, what he CAN’T see is the potential he has of saving his friends and becoming a hero.. An opportunity to be a legend.. To be part of an adventure that stories are written about.. 

Unless he moves forward, he’d never know.

All he’s gotta do is STAY ON THE PATH. 

All WE have to do is choose to STAY ON THE PATH.

So how do we do it?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Simply put, we’ve got to learn to trust our guide who is faithful all the time. 

Instead of being fearful of what could go wrong, try shifting your focus to what could go RIGHT.

Be confident in who you’re following and rest assured that he’s led you down this path for a reason.

The only way to reach what we long for and grasp the fullness of what God has in store for us is choosing to trust our guide. 

We’ve got to believe that all the steps leading up to this moment were on purpose. 

Despite the scary stuff ahead, we can be confident in continuing on because God has led us to THIS path.

Be at ease knowing God is in control.