Waterfall after Waterfall

Recently I took what was intended to be, a quiet walk along a beautiful path. There was a gushing river on my left and a rocky mountain on my right. Two seemingly impassable guardians keeping me on my way. My mind was busy as I walked, but not as busy as my eyes, as I strove to take in all that was surrounding me. Along my way, I spotted a waterfall. It was across a deep ditch,  and up the mountain a little hidden almost completely out of sight, giving it a mysterious sort of attitude. I reached it with some difficulty, for although not far, it was steep and very slippery. When I reached the waterfall, I looked past it and saw another even more beautiful. With even more difficulty I reached it, this time slipping and falling a few times. Again, when I had reached this waterfall I looked up and saw another even bigger waterfall. More determined than ever, I climbed even further, making slow work on the tricky terrain. This was the case again and again. Once I was sufficiently exhausted, I sat down to enjoy the view I had worked so hard to achieve. As I did, I looked back and I realized how far I had come without even noticing. I was soaked, muddy, and beginning to feel the bruises forming from my falls. Before I had realized it, I had strayed far from the strait path I had been on, not long ago. My focus had turned so completely on my own new goal and destination, that I hadn't even realized how far I had come from the trail. I couldn't help but compare this to my walk with my Father. He sets us on a path, one that is strait and narrow. One that is not often easy but always gives us the option to be carried when it gets too hard for us on our own. When we lose sight of that because of distractions in the world around us, we lose the protection that comes with walking rightly. The terrain becomes full of trouble that we don't even notice because our focus is so entirely on what we want to achieve. Then all at once, we realize the hurt and the mess we are in, but we are far far away from the safety of the trail.  We see one thing after another, each more attractive and desirable than the last. Each luring us further and further away from where we should be. When we follow Christ, we are destined to follow a specific path. A path that He has designed specifically for us. We must stay focused on Him and not become distracted by the short term things that seem attractive and desirable. Elisha received a double portion of the Spirit that Elijah had because of his ability to keep his focus on the prize and not be distracted by the horses of fire. HIs blessing was far and above worth the sacrifice he made. Equally so will our blessing be if we remain focused on Him and His plan.