Desire Paths

The path we choose can tell us a lot about ourselves … and our faith.

Experienced hikers know there is one rule of the trail you don’t break: Do not take shortcuts.

Not all shortcuts are created equal. Some simply cut the corner off a switchback, so what’s the problem?

The problem is that if you take short shortcuts you might get in the habit of taking longer ones, and then you discover that you’re on the wrong trail and separated from your hiking companions by many miles — to say nothing of the environmental damage you cause by creating an erosion-prone trail straight down the mountain.

Small sins lead to larger sins. Yes, it is a version of the much discredited “domino theory,” but in matters of ethics, it rings true.

Now, take a walk in a local park, college campus or even your own church grounds. Architects and urban planners want pedestrians to enjoy their walk and will even go so far as to plot, guess and surmise how pedestrians would prefer to get from one corner of the park to another, how to walk from the ...