jesus walked

We live in a world that constantly runs from one thing to the next. We run to work, school events, kid's games, and dinner with friends. We hop in bed each night only to do it again the next day. 

Something I notice in scripture is how Jesus walked. He did not run. He walked from town to town, and mile after mile. While walking, he preached, healed, and did life with his followers. He was never too busy for someone and never turned someone away.

How much do we miss when we run? I know that I miss a lot. I stop noticing the birds chirping outside my window each morning. I am in a rush at the store and don’t “have time” to talk to the cashier. I am too worried about making it to the next thing and miss the opportunity right before me. The opportunity to show someone Jesus. The opportunity to be His hands and feet.

How can we walk like Jesus?

1. Slow down

   1. When we rush through life we miss opportunities. While studying for my personal training test, I did not work a nine-to-five job. I had total freedom with my schedule. I realized something very sad during that time. So often, I was too busy and missed opportunities to show someone Jesus. During that season, life was slow. I was able to be listening ears to a friend who was struggling. I was able to be outside more and spend time in God’s creation. I could hear God more clearly because I wasn’t consumed by a to-do list. After I started working as a trainer, I still walked slowly. Sometimes that meant waking up extra early to spend time with the Lord. Other times it meant not saying yes to everything, so I could focus on the things God has called me to do. Where in your life can you slow down?

2. Be interruptible

   1. A friend, who left the teaching profession and started a work-from-home job, told me that the thing she loved most was how her new job allowed her to live an interruptible life. Jesus showed us the perfect example of this. He was not bothered by the needs of others, he welcomed them. In Biblical times, children were seen as a bother and a burden but that is not how Jesus saw them. In Mark 10, Jesus is teaching the crowds of people and many start to bring little children to him. The disciples quickly turned them away. Jesus immediately rebuked the disciples and welcomed the kids. “After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:16). Jesus stopped his sermon and welcomed the “least of these”. Do you stop your schedule and welcome those who can do nothing for you, or quickly avert your eyes and move to the next thing?

I was listening to the podcast Call Her Holy this week. The host Nicoletta said she begins each day by asking God, “What do you have for me today?”. How often do our days start by turning off our alarm and thinking through what's on our to-do list for today? Instead, tomorrow, let’s ask God what he has for us and walk at his pace, not our own.