“Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
—attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson
That Emerson quote sits on my bulletin board, and every time I see it, I smile.
I smile, because it brings me back to my childhood.
Growing up, I admired my grandmother’s constant, fervent, unwavering faith. So one day when I had her alone, I asked her, “Grandma! How can I get your kind of faith?”
She looked at me quizzically with her head tilted sideways—like I’d just posed a crazy question. Then she said, “Well, Maria, you just ask God for it. You just ask God to give you more faith. And he will. That’s it!”
Over and over in my life, I’ve had to come back to my faith and ask God for more of it. More faith in God, more faith that there’s a larger purpose in life, more faith that the path I’m going down is the right path for me, more faith in myself.
The truth is, if we want to forge our own path in life, if we want to live a life that’s uniquely our own, it takes a lot of faith.
Now to be honest, there have been plenty of times when I’ve lost faith—wondered where I was going and what I was doing. But thank God, I seem to always find my way back.
I usually find my way back by sitting in silence and asking for guidance. When I do that, I’m calmed, and the words come: “Have faith, Maria. Have faith in God and faith in yourself. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
I have faith I’m here to leave a trail, so I keep walking.
My grandmother was right: Ask for faith. And if you don’t get it the first time, keep asking.
Dear God, I acknowledge that in myself I am weak and vulnerable, but I rejoice that you are on my side and that I am no one’s victim. Thank you for being strong in my life. Thank you for letting nothing, no matter how painful or powerful, separate me from your love. That makes me victorious, no matter what. Amen.