I was stopped in my tracks this morning by a tree that had fallen across my path. It reminded me of the famous refrain in Going on a Bear Hunt: “Uh uh… We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. Oh No! We’ve got to go through it…”

Sometimes things in life stop us in our tracks – the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a challenge of our character, financial hardship, isolation, health issues, relational breakdown or any other unexpected twist and turn of the road we were travelling on.

We are going to have obstacles in our walk with Jesus that we then have to figure out how to navigate. Often, we don’t have the luxury to go around, past, over or under. The only option is to wade on right ahead as we seek to go through it. And yet, unlike the intrepid family on their bear hunt, we might well be scared. Or unsure. Or hurt. Or angry. Or sad.

It’s as we navigate these moments that we need to keep our eyes up: “Job [insert your name here], are you listening? Have you noticed all this? Stop in your tracks! Take in God’s miracle-wonders!” (Job 37:14 MSG, emphasis mine). Don’t be surprised if there’s a moment in the middle of the mess whereby you get to see God at work. Because no matter the obstacle, no matter the tree that’s blocking your path, no matter the hurt or pain or any other emotion you might be experiencing, sometimes it takes that interruption to see again that despite having to walk through the valley, you need fear no evil because Jesus is with you every step of the way.