Chapter Two: Walk The Walk
A popular analogy in Christian circles compares our Faith to a Walk. In this widespread story, life as a Christian resembles a journey, with the final destination being Heaven. But before walking through the pearly gates and onto golden streets, a Christian must walk a path marred by countless obstacles and challenges. Sound familiar? From the Pilgrim’s Progress to dc Talk, there are countless examples of this analogy. Using this analogy, it becomes easy to assume that the focus of Christianity is the final destination. The most important aspect of our Walk is our arrival in Heaven.
I read somewhere that most elusive thing in life, and therefore the most valuable, is understanding God’s will for your life. I can definitely appreciate the value of that statement. There are many moments in my life where I’ve struggled to realize God’s will for my life. Applying the analogy, I seek the absolute of God’s will for whatever part of life I am walking through.
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The Bible tells us of several occasions where men were physically able to walk with God. Man walked with their Maker in the Old Testament. The Gospels write of how Jesus walked amongst the people. Now? Our “walk” with God is much more figurative. Sometimes I wonder what it was like to be able to stroll across Earth with its Creator. I contemplate how it felt to travel through life while walking with the One who gives life. I try to imagine God showing up at Adam’s door.
“Let’s go,” He says.
Adam asks, “Where to?”
God simply replies, “Walk with me."
Adam, as if God doesn’t understand, restates the question. “Yes, but where are we
going?”
Again, God simply states, “Walk with me.”
Adam is now convinced that God isn’t listening. “I know we’re going for a walk,” he says. “But where are we going?”
God’s response is unchanging. “Walk with me.”
I can relate to Adam’s questioning. I have countless questions that seemingly go unanswered. I search the heavens for God’s will for my life. Should I go to graduate school? Where do you want me to go to work? Should I invest here or there? How should I handle this conflict? The answer invariably comes back from God.
“Walk with me,” He replies.
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Two friends decide to go for a walk downtown. It’s a beautiful summer day and they want to take in the sights of the city. They park the car, take note of their surroundings, and begin. Ultimately, they want to end up at the waterfront, but they are in no hurry. Walking down the main street, they stumble across an antique shop that interests one of them and enter in. Later on, the other finds a small boutique and they pause again. A little while later, they detour onto a side street in search of a coffee shop. After a couple hours, they exit and continue back towards the water. They stumble across a street festival and decide to take in some local music. Night has arrived, bringing hunger with it, so they head off in search of an Italian eatery. Dinner calls for dessert, so they look for an ice cream parlour. A passer-by points in the right direction. Hours after they started, after experiencing much that was unexpected and unplanned, the two enjoy some ice cream while walking the beach at night.
Have you ever taken a casual walk with someone? Perhaps you have walked around the neighbourhood or through the park. You start in one direction, and probably have a final destination in mind. But do you have a specific time frame? Are you in possession of turn-by-turn directions? I doubt it. You walk together, talking and sharing in the moments. An intersection approaches, but its presence is barely noticeable because you are busy enjoying the company of another. The focus is on the company of a friend, not the distractions of the setting. For the two friends exploring the city, the beauty of their journey was not their arrival at the waterfront. That was a great part of the day, but not the only part. If they had only walked straight to the beach, they would have missed so much else. They could have easily found the quickest directions to the water, but then the walk would have been considerably less eventful.
Have you ever spent some quality time with a loved one? Have you ever experienced a special moment when nothing else seems to matter? In that moment, the landscape, the surroundings, the entire setting, don’t disappear. But imperfections lose their relevance and distractions become less noticeable when spending time with a loved one. In the same way, walking with God shifts our focus towards Him and away from the crowded landscape of our busy lives. Walking with God allows us to gain newfound perspective. It is not a matter of ignoring serious questions or even denying their existence. However, their significance pales when compared to the importance of our relationship with God.
When we look at our walk while focusing on the final destination, we lose sight of the true reality. In the same way, when we search for specific answers regarding God’s will for our lives, we ignore the bigger picture. God cares about every detail of our lives. He wants to invest in every aspect and be involved in every moment. But more than our career path or our love life, God simply wants us to walk with Him.
As we begin to walk with Him, the destination becomes less important. And the answers to those seemingly important questions become less relevant. When we walk with God, our time with Him takes precedence. We place our focus on God, and the rest simply withers into the background. When we become immersed in His presence, ordinary, daily, distractions fade away. A life crossroad will arrive, but there will be no question which way to go because you are simply walking with God and going where He leads.
He says, “Walk with me.” Without hesitation you follow.
[Chapter One coming soon]