Walk in the forest

This is the time of the year that I think of all the things I could be doing that would be life changing, however I seem to keep going over the same ground each year.  What I don't seem to get is God does all the changing & I am His instrument for His Glory.  Wow that sounds good.  However as I was sitting contemplating all this, my dog Bobbie & the stray  cat were nagging me to go on a walk on our forest trails.  So off we went, Bobbie checking out all the animal smells & the stray cat, named Stray, was close at my steps.  He had lived in the forest for many years before I was able to tame him, so he is very aware of the unforeseen dangers. I carry a very large walking stick to protect us.
As I am walking along the trail, praying & singing, I am in my own wonderful world unaware that I had taken the wrong path, down a drainage path.  I thought, my the winter has been so hard on the trail we must come out and clear the trail.  Snow & freezing had lifted up the ground & limbs were in the walk way, what a mess.  As I rounded the bend another trail intercepted & now I became aware that I had taken the wrong trail.  I looked back up the right trail and it was nice & clean and safe for me to continue my journey.  My how God does take over and continues to guide me on His path. Life is not always the way I want it, I feel I need to be doing something to change it so I am not so uncomfortable. How quickly I take over the direction of my life & not listen to God.  I worry, cry out, I just know we are not able to handle this one, and He says "you say Lord Lord and I tell you what to do, & some day you will say Lord Lord & I will not hear you"   I had gone to the word just before my walk & turned to 1st Peter 4:12 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon  you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;You share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation."  God just keeps cleaning, & polishing me, hopefully so others will see Him in me.  Just a little walk in the forest helped to teach me to be alert & to stay on the right path, and to trust Him to show me the way.   Amen?