Last weekend, I spent time with my family up in the Blue Mountains, which are nearby. The sun was shining bright, there was blue sky galore, and warm temperatures to enjoy.

My brother brought his son by on their snowmobiles, and 6 of us headed out on five sleds to tour the hills in the glory of the beautiful weather.

Brent, my brother, a very experienced and extremely capable snowmobile operator, led our group through hills and valleys, canyons and vistas, for miles and miles out into the wilderness. I trailed the caravan ensuring no stragglers were left behind!

As I followed, I thought how easy it was to drive over a path one before has already gone down.

At times, Brent took us through dense forest with all its stumps, logs, holes, pits, streams, unexpected cavities and other uncertainties that could easily trap and ensnare the inexperienced traveler. As the leader, Brent had to stay extremely aware of what he was doing, exercise great caution, and think about everyone behind and depending upon his wisdom and decision-making to get us safely to where we needed to be. Sometimes the way was so uncertain the four of us sat still while he investigated ahead to discover what route was safe to take. Once he found a safe way out, he’d come back, get us, we’d follow, and all would be well.

I pondered how easier it is to be a follower than a leader.

I thought about Jesus Christ leading the way to heaven. He had to navigate through the treacherous waters of mortal mind, the hatred and vengeance of materialistic thinking, and the spiritual ignorance of the age in order to succeed in his mission. But succeed he did. He made it all the way to pure perfect heavenly consciousness and said, “Follow me.”

The path he trod is all laid out before us. It is clear, absolute and certain, spelled out in the Bible, the New Testament and explained in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. Like the path in the snow my brother carved ahead of us, Jesus carved a path to salvation for all to follow. And there are no obstacles in the way. None! The path is clear.

And this was the intriguing part for me to consider—no obstacles in the path!

With my brother’s trail, if we stayed on it, we were certain to keep going. If we detoured even a couple of feet off the trail at times, we might have ended up stuck, slid into a crevasse or nose-dived into a deep pit. All we had to do was stay on the path, and we would keep moving.

The same rule applies to following Jesus to heavenly consciousness. All we have to do is stay on the path he walked.

If we detour into the byways of material sense, for instance, get mired in fear, sense-testimony, andger, doubt or selfishness, or believe that disease and matter is real, we detour and get off the path. That’s when we get stuck and feel left behind. But Jesus commanded, “Follow me!” And he meant to follow him in thought, to Truth and Love, to obey the one God, to live a pure life, to strive for spiritual mindednessa and to love, love, love.

The way is clear. Jesus has laid it out plain to follow. “This is the path. Walk ye down it.” He instructed.

Consider this: There are no obstacles in the path Jesus has cleared. No obstacles! Through his demonstration of Life in Spirit, and his triumph over all the claims of sin, disease and death, he has eliminated any reason for us not to succeed in our demonstration of the same. All we have to do is live the life he lived and worship the God he worshipped. Then we are set. Victory over evil is assured, and the outcome of our prayers certain.

We have much to be grateful for…

“If the disciple is advancing spiritually, he is striving to enter in. He constantly turns away from material sense, and looks towards the imperishable things of Spirit. If honest, he will be in earnest from the start, and gain a little each day in the right direction, till at last he finishes his course with joy.” Mary Baker Eddy

My group made it safely home, without incident, and had a most enjoyable time.