Keep going! Or as Bobbie says, “Stay the path”. “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.” Psalm 31:24 (MSG) How great was Colour this year! I love being encouraged by some of the giants in our faith who are still so real, normal, and relatable to us. This year, Bobbie released her new book, “Stay the Path,” and I am counting down the days until I am on holidays and I can devour her wisdom and encouragement in those pages. However, the title alone has stirred something deep within my heart…Stay the path. In all honesty, life can be rich and full to overflowing with so many blessings, but at other times, the weight of responsibility, and navigating life’s challenges, can find me weary. My husband always says about me, that I am a rebel burdened with responsibility. And that is exactly how it feels some days. How I would long to check out of the hard slog of life some days and jump in my imaginary convertible and travel around Australia soaking up all the beauty of God’s creation… but this is not the season to run. No, this is the season to stay the path. 
Stay the path in my parenting, even when it is tricky to negotiate. Stay the path in my blended family, and the outside influences that it brings into my family. Stay the path in my finances and my giving, lean in more into the realm of faith in complete surrender even when the squeeze is on. Stay the path in navigating vulnerability in friendships as people’s lives move and change, and so does our friendship. Stay the path in God even when it feels overwhelming. I desire to be a woman so strong in her faith and her simple trust in God, that when the years have passed and the grey hair and wrinkles start to form, I would be known as a woman who stayed that path no matter what. A few months ago, my strength had left the building. I was a quivering mess of exhaustion filled with feelings of being downright overwhelmed, over-looked and completely discouraged. In that moment, I read this verse: “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.” Psalm 31:24 (MSG) I clung to that promise like a life-raft. Come on Penny, be brave; you can trust God in all the issues you face. Do not give up, even when the going gets tough… (for then the tough get going – ‘80’s flashback!) Expect God to show up! God is faithful to carry us through everything! Dig in…be strong… stay the path! The safest place to be is right beside Jesus on your path. Reflecting on Easter recently, on Good Friday everything went black for the followers of Jesus. To his disciples everything was lost… all hope gone. However, Friday was not the end of the story. We know the end of the story. Do not lose hope… Sunday is coming! In this Big Year, we find ourselves at a time when we can believe that something big can be resurrected in our lives. For each one of us, something has died. Perhaps we have not seen the restored relationship, the restored health, the easing of grief, or we are completely exhausted and depleted. However, do not give up… God has got you… Sunday is coming! Can I encourage you in your hard seasons that we inevitably all face… Be brave… Stay the path! This is not the time to give up, but rather expect God to come through and answer our prayers!Believe that God is going to do something new in your life. Believe that something you thought was dead is going to be resurrected. Together, we will be brave. We will birth new projects, nurture our dreams, and plant hope again. We will expect God’s resurrection power to be here soon. We will Stay the Path in Jesus name!
