February 22: There’s Not One Path
It is not the path that makes the man holy, but the man who makes the path holy. Gregory of Nyssa
Gregg’s Reflection
Do we choose our path, or does our path choose us? I believe it’s both. I was born in a particular time and place, into a family business that shaped my early years. Those circumstances influenced my direction. Yet key decisions — like meeting Genie in college — shifted my life in ways I could never have planned.
Over the years, I’ve realized God’s will isn’t always a single, narrow trail we must find or miss forever. There are seasons when the path is clear, and others when it is faint or hidden in mist. There are also long nights when God seems silent.
Discernment is listening deeply for the Spirit’s gentle voice and making faithful choices from among the good paths before us. God’s grace can work through each of them when we walk in trust.
Scripture
When you turn to the right or to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’
Isaiah 30:21
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalm 32:8
Ancient Quotes
If you are desirous to learn and to please God, He will teach you the way you should go, and give you understanding.
Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms, Ps. 32:8
It is not the path that makes the man holy, but the man who makes the path holy.
Gregory of Nyssa, On the Life of Moses, II.320
Modern Quotes
For every warrior there is a path with a heart, and finding that path will lead to the most powerful life.
Don Juan, Carlos Castenada, The Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge
God’s will is not immediately evident. Discernment sifts the evidence and then decides, in the light of the inward attraction of grace, what God seems to be asking here and now.
Thomas Keating, Open Minds, Open Hearts, p. 164
Journaling Prompts
- How do you respond to the idea that God’s will might include multiple good options?
- When have you seen God work through an unexpected route?
- How can you hold your plans more loosely while remaining faithful?
- Looking back, in what ways has your journey formed a coherent path from where you began to where you are now
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 8 Reflection: Discerning God’s Will