In bible study this week we ended
up on the topic of walking God’s path and how, in the beginning especially, it
can feel really difficult. Am I doing it right? Do I know enough about the
bible to have this conversation? Why am I still struggling so much with sin? The
questions outnumber the answers and we just continue stumbling along this path
full of weeds, rocks, and tree roots.
I know what it means when we say
we’re walking God’s path for our lives. What I didn’t know, was that the Greek
word for walk in this context, peripateĊ, doesn’t really refer to walking one
long path. It actually means to walk around, to walk the same path over and
over again. This made me see my walk with God differently. We’re not walking
one long continuous path; we’re walking to God over and over again. We’re
breaking down the weeds, pushing the rocks into the dirt, wearing down the tree
roots, until the path is smooth and clear. Following God is like a muscle that
needs to be exercised, or a path that needs continuous tending. Life may never
get easier, but walking God’s path will if we just keep walking.
As the conversation went on my mind
did what it always does, making connections and continuing the analogy. What
happens when we stop walking a particular path? The weeds take over, rocks find
their way back, and new trees grow, before long the path isn’t so easy to walk
anymore. Suddenly we’re stumbling our way along all over again. Maybe we say we
went for a walk yesterday, so we don’t need to go today. Maybe we only go once
a week because life is busy and we don’t feel like getting out of bed. Maybe we
stop walking all together. If we stop walking, stop tending the path, stop
walking with God, the weeds will grow up around us and life becomes so much
harder to walk through.
So keep walking. Keep walking until
reading your bible isn’t a chore anymore. Keep walking until the songs you’re
singing aren’t just words on a page. Keep walking until your prayers flow
freely. Keep walking until God answers those prayers. Keep walking until the
gifts God has given you are so strong you can’t help but use them. Keep walking
until the joy in your heart is so much you need to let it overflow onto
everyone around you. Keep walking until a conversation with God becomes as
natural as a conversation with your best friend. Keep walking until you feel
God walking beside you, because he always is. Keep walking until the path is so
worn that others can follow in your footsteps and find the same amazing God you
have.
Just.
Keep.
Walking.
