When the Trail Is Blocked: Trusting God Through Obstacles

Many years ago, I had a horse named Ruby. We live on quite a bit of land out here in the country, and our family’s property connects to a large equestrian trail system. When my daughter was young, we both had horses, and we rode those trails several times a week. We still talk about those days sometimes and all the wonderful memories we made together out in those woods.

One thing I especially remember about Ruby was the way she handled obstacles on the trail. Every now and then, we’d come around a bend and find a fallen limb or tree blocking our path. Sometimes we could go around it, which meant leaving the familiar trail for a little while. Other times, it was something the horses could safely step over or carefully make their way through.

Not every horse liked that. Some wanted the trail completely clear. If something unexpected was in the way, they might hesitate, back up, or decide that turning around and heading home sounded like a much better idea.

But Ruby was different. When she saw an obstacle ahead, she would stop. She’d look at it. And then she’d wait for me to tell her what to do.

If I knew it was safe and asked her to go forward, I’d give her a little nudge. Ruby would lower her head, broaden those big shoulders, and march right through. She trusted me.

She didn’t know what I knew. From where she stood, she could only see a blocked trail. But I could look at the situation differently. I could see whether there was room to go around, whether she could safely step over it, or whether we needed to find another way altogether. All she needed to know was that if I was asking her to move forward, she could trust me.

I’ve thought about Ruby many times over the years, and lately I’ve realized there’s a lesson in there for me too. How often do we come around a bend in life and suddenly find something blocking the path we thought we were supposed to be on?

We weren’t expecting it. We don’t know how to get around it. And sometimes our first instinct is a lot like those other horses—to back up, turn around, and head toward something that feels familiar and safe.

But maybe there’s another way. Maybe ​instead of immediately panicking​ over the obstacle, we can stop and look to the One who can see what we can’t. God sees farther down the trail than we do.

Sometimes He leads us around the obstacle. Sometimes He takes us temporarily off the path we thought we’d be traveling. And sometimes, I think, He simply says, “Keep going. You can walk through this.” ​That takes trust​.

Ruby never needed to understand exactly how she was going to get through before taking that first step. She just needed to trust the one holding the reins. I want my faith to look more like that.

When something unexpected blocks my path, I want to stop before I start backing up. I want to look to God for direction and trust that if He is leading me forward, He already knows what’s on the other side.

Sometimes faith might look a whole lot like lowering your head, squaring your shoulders, and taking the next step.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5 NIV

September 27, 2026 Morning Brew