A Faithful Walk

A Faithful Walk

On a typical Saturday morning, you may find me on a trail. Recently I’ve taken to running/hiking pretty good distances on the greenway trails that crisscross through San Antonio. There are usually a large number of fellow trail users barreling through in bike packs, meandering along with newborns in strollers, or taking dogs out for some much-needed exercise. It’s a cheap and easy enough hobby I suppose, and one that offers ample time for reflection. And one, too, with a large number of parallels with the Christian way of living. If you’ve been around a church long enough you’ve heard people refer to their “walk”, with God, with Jesus, or their faith. It’s an artful way to refer to a lifestyle and one with significant Biblical history. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” (Genesis 6:9b). “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) Just as Thomas Jefferson was drawn to metaphors of the sea, I’ve always been drawn to the metaphor of traveling down life’s path. It has a serene connotation that many times life seems to be missing, and there is a calming nuance to it amongst the chaos of all our daily travails. But more importantly, for our purposes, there is insight to be gleaned from it.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) The first thing to notice is that walking requires action. A brain-dead sentence to be sure, but when mentioned figuratively should be noted. Too many times in my own life, I’ve waited for God to move, act, or even hint at His grand and glorious plan for me. But in that interim, I was doing nothing on my own. One cannot walk without movement or action! The two are synonymous. Of course, Scripture states, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’” (Psalm 46:10a) but that passage is speaking specifically of God’s control. That He is our refuge and the One who ceases wars, calms nations, and brings peace. It reaffirms God’s sovereignty over events that would threaten to engulf us; it is not a call toward idleness. Psalm 119:105 also states, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” As has been stated in this newsletter before, for God’s direction to lead us we must already be on the path, even if we begin walking in darkness.

Secondly, walking forces you to travel one step at a time. One of the biggest obstacles to faith can be impatience. Often our faith can be cast aside due to worry or anxiety about the ending of a situation, several steps down the road. Our fretting over something tomorrow keeps us from being faithful today. Fear and faith are mutually exclusive. You cannot hold onto one while practicing the other. Worrying over an outcome makes it impossible to be faithful throughout. Remembering to take only the step in front of you allows you the breathing space to rely firmly on God, to remind yourself that He will direct you to the destination you need to find. It also helps build humility. Calvin Coolidge said, “If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.” This is not an endorsement of “head in the sand” denial, but a reminder of how very little we can control. Fretfulness is akin to arrogance. The belief that we are capable of changing circumstances beyond our control can be described in no other way. We know we are to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and that we are to render unto God what is His. Caesar’s face was engraved on all the money of the Roman Empire, to eliminate any confusion as to who was in charge. And we are made in God’s image, He has stamped His likeness on our very being. There should be just as little confusion on that end as well. And if He has taken enough care to make us in His image, then we should entrust His loving hands with our futures as well. God has proven His faithfulness, every step of the way. It is unconscionable that He would leave at this juncture. His love had endured every human calamity, every disaster, every atrocity, and every age of this Earth. He is not about to go anywhere, and we should cling tightly to that fact.

Life is a communal enterprise, yet also an entirely subjective one. For an object lesson, imagine a movie theater. (Very easy for some of us, admittedly.) Hundreds of people can sit in the same room, and view the exact same movie, yet walk away with entirely different experiences. Or, for another example, two people can be in the same room and share in a conversation yet leave with vastly divergent opinions on its merits. We view the world through the lens of our own experience and each moment compiles on the ones before to create a perfectly unique perspective. But as lonely (or singular) as this may seem, what remains fascinating is that God is capable of speaking to each of us directly. He can make Himself known both collectively and subjectively. He leads the Church, yet also pursues a direct relationship with us specifically. Our God is not one to be worshiped from afar but desires us in particular. As 8 billion souls traverse down life’s path, only One thing can cut through the cacophony. Only His voice may survive the din, and it’s not in the roaring wind or raging fire, but something as intimate as a whisper.

We all walk this path, some begrudgingly, some in wonderment, others blithely ignorant (seemingly my default), or even looking backward. We may meander forward alone, or tag along in a group. We may haplessly stumble our way in the darkness or look to the light of the Word. We may choose to stride confidently forward or meagerly toe step down the line. The choices are endless and are completely yours. There is a traveling companion waiting, however, One who knows the way, who can overcome any obstacles that bar the path, who can vanquish any foe you cross. One who plotted out a course for you before you were even born. Perhaps this threatens to read as a metaphor stretched a tad too thin. But there is something to it even if my limited abilities can’t nab it exactly. “Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:23-24) God notices when you walk with Him.

Finally, remember that the journey of even a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take it in faith, take it assuredly, walk the path of the righteous, and affix your gaze heavenward. Your life will meet you on the way, be ready for it. Embrace it and welcome the course the Lord has charted for you. It only happens once.

Jordan Williamson