When Faith Feels Distant: Follow the Best Path

Starting My Mornings With Intention

Lately, I’ve been starting my mornings with Scripture—a habit that’s been established, broken, and renewed at various points in my adult life.

Over the past nine months, I’ve been working intentionally on building a meaningful morning routine. It’s included meditation, visualization, affirmations, reading, and journaling.

But during this time, my relationship with God had quietly slipped off the list.

Trading Faith for Neuroscience

The reason for this distance is two-fold. One fold is that I’ve been wrestling with some faith questions that center around the institution of Church. The other part is that I got caught up in the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and Dr. James Doty, both leaders in the field of neuroscience and how harnessing your thoughts can produce positive outcomes and abundance.

They teach that we can rewire our brains, reshape our thoughts, and essentially manifest the lives we want. It’s a powerful message, and honestly, it made me feel like I was in control.

Although science and faith don’t have to be at odds, I realized I’d been leaning more into mental mastery than spiritual surrender.

When the Vision Blurs

Recently, I’ve hit a few roadblocks that have caused the once clear visualization of my future has become foggy and hard to hold onto. Disappointment is the pin causing a slow and steady leak in my balloon of hope.

And just as I was feeling this loss of clarity, my younger son came home for the summer. After his first year of college and some struggles of his own, he found himself at a turning point. I watched, with both humility and awe, as he laid everything down and made a new beginning with Jesus.

That experience stirred something in me. I could feel a gentle tapping on my heart: Remember me? My love is constant. I’m still here.

A Promising Promise

A few mornings ago I was reading Psalm 32 when this verse jumped off the page:

“The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’” — Psalm 32:8

My initial thoughts were of my son and his new faith journey. Then, I realized that I need this, too. I need advising and guidance. I need someone to watch over me.

And the thoughts that followed:

• I’m 50 now. Why don’t I have it figured out?
• Why can’t I find the best pathway for my life?
• Is it too late to be worrying and wanting to find my best path?

Realizing I’ve Been on My Path All Along

These thoughts led me to a new understanding. A pathway can be straight or windy. It can be smooth or bumpy. It can be clear or overgrown. And it can be all of these things in different places. I’ve been concerned about finding my pathway, when in reality I’ve been walking it all along.

The path isn’t a specific job or a clear-cut purpose. It’s not a tidy answer or an arrival point. It’s life. It’s where we place one foot in front of the other each day, through the ordinary and the extraordinary.

What the Path Looks Like Now

Right now, my path feels uncertain. There are detours, roadblocks, and intersections I didn’t expect. Some days, I feel more like Frogger than a faith-filled traveler; just trying to dodge traffic and make it across in one piece. But even that, somehow, is part of the journey.

I don’t need to find my best pathway. I just need to remember I’m already on it. And when it twists or narrows or disappears into the thicket, God is still guiding me. Still advising. Still watching over.

The Best Path is the One You’re On

So each morning, I return to Him. I don’t need a flawless plan or a fearless heart—just the faith to take the next step. And if I keep taking those steps with trust, I believe I’ll end up in places far beyond what I could have visualized on my own.

Because the best pathway for my life isn’t one I create.
It’s the one He’s been leading me down all along.

–Love and Light