The Stick

I have a walking stick I use when we walk on nature trails.  Glen picked it up for me when we were walking the mountain bike trails at the University of South Alabama.  I stripped the bark off it and sanded it down until it was smooth.

The stick as several purposes.  It keeps me steady when I don't see roots crossing the path, it helps me when I have to go downhill -- acting as a third leg.  It helps propel me up when the path goes uphill.  I can use it to move branches and limbs away from my face.  Some have even used their sticks to remove snakes from their path, but fortunately I haven't had that opportunity, yet.

There are other times I use a stick, too.  When I take our dog, Sparrow, outside she sometimes likes to dawdle in the yard.  Being a beagle she feels compelled to sniff every blade of grass.  That's when I gently touch her behind with a stick.  She gets the message it is time to go inside and hurries along.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil: 

for Thou art with me; 

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." 

Psalm 23:4

The Scriptures speak of the Lord's rod and staff comforting us.  When I read this, I think of carrying my stick while walking.  It is a comfort to me, to know it will help me keep from falling.  For Sparrow, the stick is a remembrance to her that I am there, it is an extension of myself.  My touch with that stick reinforces my command.

Let us remember there is no path we will travel where the Lord is not present.  He is there to comfort, to guide and to protect us.  We need not fear the evil that surrounds us because He is with us, indeed, He is in us.  

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; 

and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. 

This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, 

and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD."  

Isaiah 54:17