He leads me in paths of righteousness. Psalm 23:3

One of the gifts of moving slowly through Scripture is that familiar lines start to feel new again, like unwrapping something you thought you already knew. As someone well-seasoned in Bible study, it’s easy for me to assume I understand a phrase like “being led down paths of righteousness,” especially when I can quote Psalm 23 by heart. The truth is, I’m still being taught.

More than once I’ve asked, “Why does God make this so hard? If He promises to lead me because I’m a sheep who can’t find my way, why doesn’t make the path easier to find?”

Part of the answer is that God isn’t only guiding me; He’s growing me. If He did all the thinking for me, that would be spiritual toddlerhood. Infant faith starts that way, and that’s God’s mercy, but mature faith must eventually engage a renewed mind: thinking and discerning. Deep study and good theology aren’t the enemy. The problem is not the mind; it’s the flesh that resists being challenged or corrected. I have to train my mind, layer truth upon truth, and let wisdom shape my decisions.

Knowledge can tempt me to be prideful, but knowledge itself isn’t the danger. Pride is. “Paths of righteousness” aren’t secret trails for a few; God makes them clear at every stage of spiritual development. There’s milk for the young and solid food for the maturing. He offers humility to listen, grace to obey, and repeated encouragement to use my intellect under the authority of His Word.

I can be lazy and want to be led like a baby, to be carried, not formed. Lord, forgive me. Amen.