BLOG Post: The Four-Minute Read
Walking, don’t you just love a walk?
Most people enjoy a walk, whether it’s a leisurely stroll or a hard day’s slog, or perhaps you view walking differently, as you may live in an isolated village where there is a necessity to walk for kilometers just to collect water to drink and cook, or perhaps due to a particular circumstance or disability you may not be able to walk.
When we think of walking, many descriptions may come to mind. The dictionary describes walking as; ‘regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once’, physical movement, taking us on a trajectory forward.
I’m thinking more about walking this month as Sturr trustee, Kevin Nutt and myself are taking on the challenge of walking 30 miles in one day, on Saturday 17th May to raise money for Sturr and it’s work with young people who are putting themselves on the front line in countries where believers are persecuted for their faith.
Jesus walked. The Gospels in the Bible are full of his journeys. All over the Galilee area and up to Jerusalem. Luke records one of his most significant walks, when he joins with the two people (I like to think of them as Cleopas and his wife) who were walking to Emmaus and he ‘explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself’. What a way to do Bible study!
Walking is often used in the Bible metaphorically to represent how a person should live life as they walk their spiritual journey. Psalm 119:1 describes those who walk in the ways of the Lord, and Galatians 5:16 implores us to ‘walk by the Spirit’
This month with walking, and writing this bog in mind, I am considering two simple questions –
Who are you walking with?
On our sponsored walk, I am happy to walk with Kevin, we have both broken an ankle in the last two years (and both our ankles have miraculously healed), we have similar interests and our fitness is about the same. I am looking forward to walking with him. When you choose a long trip, you can either go it alone or you can join a group or choose someone to walk with you. Who you are with determines the speed you will go, the amount of risk you take, the number of stops along the way. Our companions can make or break our journey.
We also walk a spiritual journey and no matter how tempting it may be, we must never walk alone. It’s good to have human companions but we will never be alone if we choose to walk with Jesus. It is he who will give us direction and purpose when we walk alongside him as our Lord and Saviour.
What is your goal?
It’s good to have a goal, a target. Just as we have a focus when it comes to walking on a physical journey, so we must to have a goal when it comes to walking in our spiritual life.
So, from a spiritual viewpoint, we want our prayers to heard. Perhaps right now, take a few minutes to consider where you want to be in a year from now and trust Jesus to help you accomplish that in your spiritual walk with him.
In our sponsored walk our goals are three-fold; first to complete the course. We have 30 miles to complete and we are hoping to do this in less than twelve hours. Secondly, to enjoy ourselves and perhaps welcome other walkers to walk along with us. Thirdly, we want to raise funds in order to work through Sturr effectively with our partners and friends in the nations where we work.
We would value your prayer support; we value your financial support too. Maybe physically you cannot walk with us but we would ask that if you could donate even the equivalent to just a couple of coins to the cause then we believe Jesus will commend you, just like he did all those years ago as he observed the poor widow in the temple giving just a few coins (Mark 12:41-44).
Thanking you in anticipation. Bless you.
