Walking The Path

Neo
"I just wish... I wish I knew what I'm supposed to do." - The Matrix Reloaded

As we prepare our minds for the battle to be fought we may run into a troubling thought. We may ask ourselves, "What am I supposed to do?"

Sometimes we think we must know everything before we can move forward with something in our lives. We want to have a perfect plan. But we must realize that we cannot have that. We are only called to do what we know we must do today. We need to simply take up our arms, or walk the path, and trust that we will know what to do when the time comes. When we begin to walk the path we will inevitably make the right choices when the time comes.

This is the message Morpheus stresses as he tells Neo about the "difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

In time things will unfold in such a way that we will know exactly what to do at that key moment. Neo continues to do what he knows he must do (fight off the gatekeepers, battle with Agent Smith, stop sentinels and continue to try to find a way to save Zion) and at the crucial moment in the battle for the greater purpose he makes the right decision.

In his encounter with the Architect, Neo is given two choices. He can resign his pursuit for the greater purpose and be a part of rebuilding Zion after it is destroyed or go back into the Matrix and try to save Trinity, who the Architect has said he cannot save. Neo chooses to try to save her, despite the Architect's warning that it would result in the extermination of the human race.

Neo chooses love. Despite the incredible odds against him being able to save Trinity, he decides to try. Much like Christ's love for the church, Neo chooses to attempt to rescue her. In the circumstance before him he finds hope and is able to miraculously catch Trinity at the last possible second before she hits the ground. He later revives her and heals her wound.

Just as Neo was able to make the proper choice in the moment of truth, we can also make the proper choice in our moment of truth. He made the proper choice because he stayed true to the path he had chosen. To have chosen the other alternative would have gone against everything he was called to do. He would have gone against love, his pursuit to save Zion, and his call to end the war. Neo simply decided, at that moment, to stay true to the path.

"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." - Psalm 33:11 (NIV).

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." - Proverbs 16:9

This excerpt from my book Matrix Reflections really resonated with me this afternoon. I am grateful that I do not need to know all the answers, outcomes or the future. What matters most is knowing who you are, what you stand for and following through on that. 

Excerpt from the book Matrix Reflections by Eddie Zacapa. Used with permission.