My Friends, Eric and Kellie have bought their first house. Today, my friend, Debbie and I joined Kellie and prayed in every room. Here are a few pictures. (It's a wonderful place with very nice tile work).
The Daily Walk
Recently, while staying at a friend’s place in the mountains, I decided to go for walk. I followed a road that wound downward into a lovely valley. Deer eyed me while birds filled the air with song and a vista of pines greeted me as I strolled along. At the bottom of the hill, the street turned left and so that’s the way I went, spending time looking at sights and just enjoying myself. It may have been close to an hour later when I thought I should go back. So, I turned and looked at where I’d come from.
When I scanned the road I’d come down so easily, it looked extremely steep, nearly vertical. I gulped, wondering why I hadn’t chosen to go uphill at first so I could be facing a leisurely downhill stroll now that I was tired. But as much as I wished, I didn’t see a chairlift, or a friendly stranger offering me a ride back up the hill.
I made two decisions. First, I’d better get started since I had to do it anyway and second I wouldn’t try to set a speed record or even attempt to make this journey one of cardio exercise. I just wanted to make it to the top—still breathing.
I began to climb, slowly, one foot in front of the other, over and over and over again. The morning was still lovely and I noticed the clean crispness of the air when I unzipped my coat, since like it or not, my heart was pumping hard and my body heating up. But all in all, I found the hike pretty easy. To be fair, I wasn’t really hiking, I was just walking, slow. Remember, I determined not to rush things? Well, I didn’t. But I did make it, still breathing and sort of proud that I’d made it without too much strain.
Now I’m thinking about how our journey of faith is like a walk. Just putting one foot in front of the other over and over again and continuing without stopping, until we’re done. I’m not unhappy to say that most my days are pretty ordinary, pretty typical, pretty repetitive. Like walking. Not many exciting races or super bowls in my overall existence. I really think that life is won or lost in the way we face our everyday lives. When there’s a mountain to climb, we simply put one foot in front of the other and up we go.
The one activity that helps me the most to remain faithful and keep on going is regular time in God’s Word. I don’t do it well alone and so have found that a weekly Bible study where others expect me to show up with my study completed is a wonderful way for me to stay on the straight and narrow. That’s a good thing, because that path is where I want to be.
