6 Things I See on My Morning Walk

To say I like routines would be an understatement. As a preacher, much of my schedule is difficult to “set,” but I always try to schedule as much of my time as I can in routine.

Part of that routine is my morning walk. I leave at the exact same time every morning and walk the exact same route. That route is throughout the neighborhood in which we live. Our neighborhood has about 215 houses, and my walk takes me by a vast majority of them. As I walk on the sidewalks and look out early in the morning, I notice a few things.

Here are some things that come to my mind as I walk.

1. Peace. I love walking in the morning. There are a few cars that come by and a couple of other people walking, but for the most part, there is calm. It reminds me that we live in a world that seeks peace, and that I serve the Prince of Peace.

2. Transition. With over 200 houses in the neighborhood, and being in a city, you can imagine that some of the houses have “For Sale” signs, and a few have “Sold!” on the front. People are constantly moving in and out and it reminds me that we live in a fast-paced world where people are constantly moving about. It also makes me thankful that God never moves out!

3. Creation. Just in the last few days, I have started walking in some light. For months, because of the early hour, I walked in total darkness (except for a few street lights). However, now I see the sunrise as I walk instead of the twinkling of stars. What a reminder that God is in control. “Summer and winter…shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

4. Care. How do I see that? It happened again this morning. As I walked, I came upon a bird that was lying in a yard, dead. (Thankfully, this is not an “every morning” part of my walk!) Each time I see a small animal lying dead, it reminds me that God knows every sparrow that falls, and that He cares for me!

5. Opportunity. We know several people in our neighborhood, and we recognize many faces. We know enough to know that the vast majority are living without Jesus Christ. How many of those houses, though nice on the outside, are empty without the Savior on the inside? We have a mission field in our 200+ house neighborhood!

6. Thanksgiving. I cannot believe God has blessed me with the family he has. Each day, when I end my walk and come up our driveway, I am thankful. Yes, I’m thankful for the comfortable house and the car in the driveway. I’m thankful that we are able to have a few nice things, and that our house looks good from the street. More than any of that, though, I’m thankful for who is inside! I know that I’ll see Leah reading her Bible or praying as I walk in the door (she kind of likes routines, too). I know that, in a few minutes, I’ll get to play with my buddy, Turner. I know that, a few minutes after that, I’ll wake my precious Mary Carol up for breakfast. What a blessing to end my walk and see my family!

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Of course, no matter where you live, you’ll see these same things if you’ll just look around. In Hermitage, Tennessee, I see these things each day. Let’s all open our eyes no matter where we live to what is really around us!