So the last two weeks I’ve talked about blazing your trail…setting up intentional reminders around you to help you practice new (more positive) thoughts about your singleness. This week’s hike was kinda funny because I ended up with a perfect example of what happens when you don’t have enough blazes…you get lost.
Now it wasn’t dire or anything. I could see the river. I knew the surrounding area. It’s not like I would’ve been stranded for days waiting for a rescue helicopter. It was just plain annoying. 
I decided to switch things up this week and instead of doing my normal loop, I hung a u-ey at the halfway point and hiked back to the car on the trail on the north side of the river. Always interesting to look at the river from the other side (that’ll be a whole other blog) and it was a beautiful day, so why not? Except once I made the turn, I realized that I had lost track of time and that it was going to be a challenge to get back to my car and get home in time to keep a prior commitment.
So Kirby and I booked it. We had to go as fast as possible…and that meant sticking with the trail. Having to fight our way through brambles and downed trees would only slow us down. Unfortunately, the trail on the north side of the river is less used and harder to see in the late fall/early winter. And there are hardly any blazes. Suffice it to say I ended up with dozens of painful briar scratches on my arms and super sore legs.
The trick with blazes when the trail is hard to see is to put them close enough together so that when you’re standing at one, the next one is just within sight up ahead. That way if you get off the beaten path, you’re at least heading in the right direction..
This past week, it was easy for me to get off the beaten path in terms of life in general. Work has been crazy, I’m trying to get ready to host my family for the holidays, and I ended each day running on fumes. When I’m like that, I have a harder time sticking with my disciplines…I come home, throw my clothes in a pile on the floor and collapse in bed. My disciplines (journaling, devotional reading, self-care practices) all go right out the window. I tell myself I don’t have time. And I end up fighting my way through brambles of doubt, anxiety, and depression about where my life is going. I start thinking that maybe I won’t be okay unless I find a life partner soon…maybe I’ll never be happy…maybe God doesn’t want to bless me.
I am completely off the path.
What I really need is a blaze right there. There in that place where I’m too tired to do anything else. And one thing that never fails for me is a time of gratitude prayer. I close my eyes, and just start thanking God for everything I can think of…from His love for me to the awesome taste of the fresh apple I had at lunch that day. 
For friends, family, a roof over my head, Kirby, my job, my health, the way He made me, something that made me laugh earlier, the way the sky looked at sunset, the working electricity…you get the idea. Before I know it I’m feeling centered and sleep follows soon after.
What works for you? Is it that one person you can call any day, any time when you need to be gently reminded of how you are loved? Is it a passage of Scripture that you’ve turned to so many times you don’t even need to look it up any more? Or maybe it’s a song that always brings you back to your center.
This week, take some time to think about where you’re most vulnerable. Where are those places that make it easy to lose your way and forget that you are worthy of love, that you have plenty of time, that everything is happening exactly the way it should?
Think of what you can use as a blaze for that place. Something you can go back to when you realize you have completely lost your way. A marker for when you are feeling exhausted and weak. A symbol of redirection for your brain when you catch yourself thinking thoughts that are not helpful, painful, and most importantly, untrue.
If you are at a loss, try the gratitude prayer…I guarantee you’ll never run out of things to thank God for. You can do it anywhere, any time. Or come up with your own way of redirecting yourself when all else fails. I’d love to hear what helps you in those moments of tiredness and doubt, so share them in the comments section below. Let’s see how many ideas we can give each other!
