Big Bog 1

We visited Big Bog State Park last weekend. At least parts of the park are very new. And I commend the state of Minnesota for preserving this unique area.

I was kind of ignorant of bogs. But it sounded like something new and different. In 2005, the state built a mile long boardwalk into the largest bog in the lower 48 states. It is roughly 70 miles wide by 30 miles north and south. The bog is mostly a peat bog with lots of the peat moss found at gardening stores. If I understand correctly, the dead plant life just builds up over time because it is too cold to decay it all into "soil".

The bog is definitely wet - although that isn't obvious at the surface. In spots, the actual soil is up to 15 feet below the surface. At pretty much any point, if a person tries to walk on the bog, they will sink knee-deep or deeper. It is a very unique ecosystem.

So the boardwalk gives us all a chance to experience the bog without being bogged down or stranded for days.

Walking along the boardwalk is kind of like staying on the straight and narrow. Straying from the path laid out before you can have some negative consequences.

If only following God's will and desires was so obvious... Even with good intentions, sometimes the path is not very obvious at all.

But God leads us in a variety of ways. Sometimes the path is very obvious. We may follow willingly. Or we might try to go our own way. Or perhaps we will delay, hoping that path will remain an option if we come back to it later. Even if the path is clear, it does not guarantee that every person will take that path.

Sometimes the path is pretty clear. But we have a very hard time going down the path. Fortunately, God is pretty patient. If we seek to please him, he will honor even our baby steps as we tentatively move out in a new direction.

Sometimes a narrow path seems too limiting. God gives us free will. If you don't wish to have time with him and be on his team for his purposes, he lets you go (with a few tears). God won't force a person to spend millions of years with him and worshipping him. He will let them go to hell. It isn't God's preference. But he lets people choose hell on their own.

And sometimes, even for believers, the path isn't as clear as we would like. An obvious path through the bog/wilderness/life would sure be handy. Sometimes it is appropriate to wait for further direction. But more often, we are called to step forward in baby steps and more will be revealed later (perhaps when we are ready for it). We can't let fear paralyze us from moving forward into new things. Quite often, God is just waiting for us to take those first steps.

When the path is revealed, how will you respond?