Several years ago a friend and I decided to hit the bike trail. It was one of those gray fall days, and we were cutting a trail through fallen leaves along this wandering path that went out over a bridge. Below us, a train was passing by. I remember the tracks almost moving and the fallen leaves flying ahead and swirling behind the train as it sped through. Something about that moment beckoned us to jump on board and to see where those tracks were headed.
That friend and I still talk about that moment. It was a calling out of sorts. For me, it was God asking, “Tim, are you willing to jump on board with me, even without knowing where the train is going? Are you willing to take a chance — a risk to step out of this ordinary life? Will you step into the unknown with me? Will you jump into a life of adventure?” When I see trains today, my mind still goes there; to that feeling and to those questions.
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“Are you ready for the next step? Can you choose a direction?” Recently I saw a train pass by at the river’s edge and I remembered that fall day many years ago, and that train that brought so much movement to my life.
As I watched the train roll by, mirrored in the surface of the water I wondered again if I was ready to get on board with where God is moving today. There are no guarantees and the destination is unsure; but the journey is calling out.
To figure out His movement, His direction, I know that I need to get to a place where my soul and senses are opened up and I can listen. But it is more than listening; I need to get to a place where I am willing to jump on board as the train passes by. But again, it is more than willingness; it is an actual jump, a leap, a movement, a choice, an action, a trajectory.
Once I’ve listened, once I’ve become a willing participant in the movement of God, I need to take the biggest step of all and actually jump on board.
