Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Walk Don't Run

How many different types of walking are there? Have you ever thought about it? I was reviewing a lesson for Sunday School and was considering a few things about walking. First, you never run before you walk and never walk before you crawl. So as babes in Christ we will be crawling. We must be felled to our knees before we can even begin walking again.Paul talks about walking in Ephesians.
He starts in Ephesians 2:1-11. He is referring to the "old" walk. That is, the way we lived before we became children of God. It sort of reminds me of a rags to riches kind of thing. We are walking, but maybe not that gracefully and then we have Christ come into our lives and we see now what it means to walk in grace:) When our new life begins, we are to start a whole new walk and after we get up off our knees to begin our new walk, it should be at a different pace and on a different path than the previous walk. Also, notice that he always refers to our travels as Christs' followers as walks and not marathons!

What happens when we walk rather than run? Do you see more and hear more? How does it affect you differently? You probably aren't out of breath or anything from walking and you can take your time and even appreciate what you encounter along the way. You can contemplate your steps before each one lands, you can think quietly, you can get to your destination at a steady pace.There are several different types of walks...humanly speaking. We have the walk that bounces along, the sauntering walk, the purposeful walk, and the childlike walk. The list goes on.
So how do you "walk" your Christian walk? I would say that sometimes I even stumble along. Only by the grace of god go I.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Dancing!

A very dear friend of mine sent me the following rhetoric. I love to hear how others break down what they hear from God and what they see in the Scriptures. I think about how often I don't listen to what I truly know to be the truth and how I struggle sometimes to find my way and then something like this comes along, whether in email, snail mail or general conversation with one another, and I feel so much better knowing that we all cover the same ground, just in a different way.

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance." God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life. Once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.