How Do You Walk?
Some who read this will know that Donna and I live in a neighborhood in which quite a few people get their exercise by walking. Some are accompanied by a dog or two. Now that the weather is becoming more and more mild, there seems to be more people walking by our house.
When we are sitting in our sunroom, its windows provide a wonderful view of part of our neighborhood and of those who are walking its streets. Due to the fact that we’ve lived here for a number of years now, we now recognize those who make walking a regular part of what they do.
It is interesting to me that we recognize these people even though we don’t know the names of all of them. Some who walk by do not live in our immediate community, but they seem to consider it as a good place to get some exercise.
When these people are quite a distance away from me, I can identify many of them. I can also tell if a person I am seeing is unknown to me. That person could be a new neighbor whom I have not yet met, somebody from another neighborhood, a relative of somebody in our neighborhood, etc.
You might be wondering how I can claim to recognize people whose names I do not know and how I distinguish people I do know from the ones I do not know. The answer is hinted at in the title of this post. I can recognize people by how they walk and/or by the companions they have with them as they walk.
As you may (or may not) have already guessed, I have a point in mind for all of this. Our journey through life is often described as a walk. This description is especially true as we read our Bibles. One informative, comforting, and challenging example of this is found in 1 John 1:6-7:
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Whether or not people know our names, they make determinations about us based upon how we walk and with whom we walk. More importantly, the ultimate and final determination concerning our eternal destinies is determined by how we walk and with whom we walk.
Hopefully, these words describe and encourage all of us:
When we walk with the Lord
in the light of His word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
It might be a good idea for all of us to consider these inspired words written by the apostle Paul:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise. (Eph. 5:15)
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
