And when they arrived [in Antioch] and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they remained no little time with the disciples.  (Act 14:27-28)

      When I was growing up in Oklahoma my family used to visit my grandparents’ house several times a year.  They kind of lived in the middle of nowhere so it was always a nice, peaceful place to be.  And, they had a fishing pond.  It was just a little thing, hidden in a cow pasture among a small herd of bored cows, ancient piles of boulders, and gnarled mesquite trees.  It never was much to look at, but there was always lots of Lorance family traffic.  After all, the fishing was great, the environment was peaceful, and everything was just so familiar.

     And I remember the path to the pond.  It wasn’t an intentional thing, but it was there.  Years of regular traffic from Lorance family fishermen had created a well-worn path through the pasture.  So, even though you couldn’t see the pond from a distance, you could always find your way there.  The path was unmistakable.   

     I took my son to that pond a couple years ago.  Things looked pretty much the same except for one thing.  The path was gone.  As the years had passed, my family members visited the pond less and less.  Where there once was a well-worn path, now there was only grass and overgrowth.

     Okay, so I’m not just taking you on a trip down memory lane here.  There’s something I want to say about this idea of a well-worn path.  You see, in the passage above, Paul and Barnabas come to the end of a tremendous missions adventure and are said to have “remained no little time with the disciples.”  The word translated “remained” is what hits me.  The original Greek word  means literally to “wear out a path.”

     I’m really not a Greek scholar, but that image deeply challenges me.  I’m so superficial in my relationships and so busy and so “multi-tasky” and so rushed.  I don’t take much time to remain. I don’t sit with my friends, my family, or God and just wear out a path with them – so to speak.  I let these key relationships get so overgrown that they lose their familiarity.

     I really think it’s high time for me to wear out these paths again.  Cut away at the overgrowth.  Pull out the ear buds.  Turn off the cellphone.  Just remain.  With Jesus.  With my wife.  With my kids.  With my friends.

     You know, sometimes I really do get to rambling, but I want to challenge you too. We live in an extraordinarily superficial society where often the most in-depth interaction we may have with a friend is a text message or a “Superpoke”.  And let's not even talk about abiding with Jesus. You want depth?  Peace?  Authenticity?  A genuine sharing with another or a profound connection with God!  Hear the invitation of Jesus:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned outon religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.”  Mt. 11:23

     I challenge you to cut through some of the overgrowth this week in your relationships with others and with God. Get to work wearing out those paths again.