My Mom wanted to see this one again

I wrote this back in March of 2005 (pre-blogging). As spring breaks into the northeast (finally) on behalf of my mom I dug it out to share with you.

Do you want to go for a walk?  I grew up in the country, and this was a regular question in our house.  Whether it was with my parents, my sisters or just the dog, walks were an important part of life.  While I have gone on many walks by myself, if given the option I will always choose to walk with someone I care about.  If you want to build a relationship with someone, going on walks together is a great way to do it.

Why is that?  Part of it is the focus, or maybe I should say, the lack of focus.  If you are working with someone, you both are focusing on finishing a project.  If you are out shopping together, you are focused on things and discovery.  But when you go for a walk with someone, the purpose is the walk.  You normally don’t have to concentrate about where you are going, and you can walk without thinking about putting one foot in front of the other.  Walking comes naturally, so you are freed up to focus on what is around you and who you are with.  Going on a walk with someone is a very relational activity.  You are side by side, able to talk, think, enjoy.

But what does this have to do with church?  Well, the amazing thing is that God invites you to go on a walk with him.  Our God is a walking God!

• In the beginning, God comes walking through the garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve.
• God says to Abraham, "I am God Almighty; Walk before me, and be blameless.”
• The nation of Israel is told, “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”
• The Israelites are told repeatedly to walk in God’s ways, in effect; to walk where God walks.
• And we are told clearly in Micah 6:8 what God requires of us in relation to himself, we are to walk humbly with our God.

So what does it mean when God says, walk with me?  Rather than focus on a list of things to do, and create another long list of things not to do, we need to realize the core reality behind this invitation.  God is a Relational Being!  The all powerful, the eternal, the creator of all, is Relational.  Walking is by its nature relational, and one who invites others to walk with him is relational as well.

God cares about how we live our lives.  God does want us connected to a group of others “walkers” in a church.  God does care what we do with our money, with our time, with our abilities.  But more than anything else, God wants you!  God wants a relationship with you.  God says, come on a life long walk with me.  God sees each one of us as his creation, God wants to adopt every human as a child, but ultimately God yearns to have you as his friend.  Someone who is walking with God, talking with God, sharing their life experiences with God, someone heading where God is heading.

Over this month, as we celebrate Easter, I encourage you to consider your walk with God.  God is saying, “Let’s go for a walk.”