Walking

"walking in the garden in the cool of the day"

Genesis 3:8

I went for a walk this evening.  But I wasn't just walking; I was talking to my folks on the phone, at the same time.

Oh, and looking at flowers.  Seemed like every flower that was blooming, was purple!  Different varieties, but all purple.  Beautiful!

And picking flowers.  None of my family was with me, and I wanted to share all the purple flowers with them, so I picked one of each.  Statice, gazanias in two different shades of purple, white gazanias with purple undersides, and something that looks like wild radish. 

I got to thinking about how, every time I go on a walk with my family, we do a whole lot more than just walk. 

Sometimes we veer off the path, and have to hike a little bit, up or down the rocks near the creek. 

Sometimes I sit for awhile, on a bench or on the grass, waiting for my kids.  My Amazing Boy likes to collect pieces of nature, or try to skip stones in the water.  My Awesome Girl likes to take pictures.

Sometimes I'm resting when I'm sitting.  Listening to the water or the birds or the frogs.  Occasionally I bring my ipod and listen to music, but only when I'm walking alone, and even then I don't do it very often.  I'd rather listen to nature.

Other times I'm writing while I'm waiting for my kids.  Thinking about things I see and people I love and how everything reminds me of God.

Sometimes we talk when we walk, pointing out things we see, and sometimes we are lost in our thoughts.  It all depends...

The Bible talks a lot about walking.  There are several verses that are really talking about living, but that use the word "walk".   Ephesians 5 has a few of them, like 5:2 ~ "Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us..."  Or Colossians 2:6, which says "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." 

And I was reminded today that "walking" with Him takes all different forms.  It's not just the one verb.  Living means hiking, resting, listening, sharing, pondering... Variety is the spice of life, so they say. 

~ "For you were once darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord. 

Walk as children of light." ~

Ephesians 5:8

~